Govt Watchdog: City Council 'Broke A Promise' By Voting To Dole Out Stipends
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Members of the New York City Council have voted to give themselves stipends.
As WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported, council members already get paid just over $112,000 annually from taxpayers.
In its first meeting, the new council approved a long list of extra pay to be doled out to members.
The speaker gets $25,000 and the majority leader $20,000, while ten members get $15,000 apiece. Thirty four other members get $8,000 each.
The stipends, known as lulus, are extra payments given to members in lieu of expenses.
"New Yorkers elected a reform-minded city council and this was an opportunity for them to deliver on that promise and they missed it," said Dick Dadey of the non-partisan watchdog group Citizens Union. "Over 30 members of the city council pledged not to accept lulus when they were elected and now they all voted in support of the committee recommendations and the lulus. So they've broken a promise that they made to New Yorkers."
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito noted that members may opt out of receiving the extra money.
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