Council defers layoffs; talks of new taxes

As the City Council delayed a decision on making layoffs and eliminating city departments to balance the deficit, some council members began talking Wednesday about proposing new taxes to help ease the city's budget woes. Daily News.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl suggested placing a parcel tax for an undetermined amount on the November ballot to generate more revenue, in part to help pay for the city's ballooning pension costs. Councilwoman Janice Hahn said she wanted to consider submitting a variety of potential tax increases to voters.

"We need two or three proposals, relating to the pension and new revenue, and need to have a conversation with voters," Rosendahl said. "We need to let the people weigh in and see if they want us to continue bailing out the pension system at the expense of services."