Council fatten$ staff for ‘oversight’

The City Council is bulking up as if it’s going to war.

Council members on Thursday boosted the body’s operating budget by 27 percent and its payroll by 125 positions, in a move designed in part to better monitor the administration.

The vote increases the council’s fiscal 2019 budget to $81.3 million — up from $65.1 million.

The added funding includes $13.1 million earmarked for the 125 new hires, boosting the number of council members and staff to 463.

“That’s a significant increase. While understandable that the council may want to beef up its analytic and investigative capacity, such a large increase should be explained and justified to taxpayers,” said Citizens Budget Commission Vice President Maria Doulis.

Council Speaker Corey Johnson offered a number of explanations, including that he was simply keeping his word about expanding the council’s role.

“We are going to hold them more accountable,” he said, speaking of the administration.

“This is again us taking back our power, us really saying we believe in the body, we believe in our charter-mandated authority,” Johnson said.

The added funds will create 20 positions for the oversight and investigation committee and 20 more for a temporary charter review commission.

The finance division will grow by 27 positions and the infrastructure division will add 16 slots.

Additionally, Johnson’s own staff will climb from 16 to 20, while his press office will grow from 8 to 13.