The City Council is proposing growing its own budget by 10.44% compared to the previous year despite the Big Apple’s looming fiscal gap.
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The legislative body’s fiscal year 2027 budget came in at $127 million — up from $115 million in FY26 — fueled primarily by 57 added jobs and new legal and professional contracts, according to projections reviewed by The Post.
The council’s central staff division added 39 roles, which will cost an extra $5.74 million. Council services, which include the speaker’s office, added 18 jobs that totaled an additional $4.18 million year over year, the documents said.
A spokesperson for Council Speaker Julie Menin noted the proposed increase was the smallest first-year operating budget increase compared to multiple of her recent predecessors.
“Speaker Menin is deeply committed to fiscal responsibility, and the Council’s budget reflects adjustments to support legislative capacity and current operational needs, including a more proactive land use division,” the rep said.
The added roles, which include two new employees for both the speaker and Minority Leader David Carr, account for nearly 10% of the council’s projected total FY27 budget.
A source close to the speaker noted that Menin separately increased individual council members’ budgets by $64,000 each — a total of 3.2 million — “to give them more resources to be flexible and meet constituents’ needs.”
Menin is also allocating new funds to build a child care facility for council members, which was reflected in the budget documents.
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