“I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg on behalf of the millions of homeowners in the City for his commitment to looking inward and trimming the government budget instead of raising property taxes. Balancing the budget by asking homeowners to pay more is easier than making difficult cuts to government agencies. I am glad as a City we are committing to do what is right instead of what is easy,” said Council Member Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn)

“I am delighted the Mayor decided to continue the $400 homeowner rebate in future years, but urge the Mayor to continue the 7% property tax cut as well. When revenue projections damper, we must proceed with caution when we discuss where we lower the city bucket. Again and again we go to homeowners to bail us out. Simply put, we can and must reduce government spending. Let’s do our part to avoid putting homeowners in a position where they must choose between paying their mortgage and paying their taxes,” added Felder.

“This is an austere budget, and we need to take a closer look at some of the cuts being proposed, especially those affecting our schools and public safety. But the Mayor deserves credit for standing firm and recognizing that raising property taxes or eliminating the rebate would only exacerbate pressures homeowners and tenants now face with rising food, gas, and utility prices. Hopefully, by helping our middle class weather these tough economic times, our city can help spark the kind of recovery that will prevent more drastic service cuts or tax hikes in the future. Many of my colleagues and I will be working in the year ahead to persuade the Mayor that an increase can be avoided in 2010 as well,” said Council Member James Vacca (D-Bronx).