Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bloomberg Doesn't <i>Wanna</i> Send Rebate Checks
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 20, 2008
Modified Nov 20, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 20, 2008
Modified Nov 20, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Is it shocking that Mayor Bloomberg may ignore the City Council by refusing to issue the $400 property rebate checks to homeowners? The NY Times calls him "defiant," as he said yesterday "that he had no plans to release the money." And the Post quotes him as saying, "We have no money. I think that's what you have to understand. This is not a legal issue; this is a fiscal issue."
Earlier, Bloomberg said he would take $256 million used for rebates to save money, but it turned out that the City Council must approve canceling the rebate--and the Council is highly unlikely to do so.
City Council member Vincent Ignizio, who filed a lawsuit to keep the rebates checks coming, notes that the money could mean a lot to people planning for the holidays and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said, "I can guarantee New Yorkers we are going to fight as hard as we can to get them those checks as quickly as possible." And Council member Lew Fidler called Bloomberg's atittude "the height of arrogance."
Bloomberg's spokeman Stu Loeser said, "Nobody wants to send money more than he does. The question is, how are we going to pay for them, when we already proposed eliminating a Police Academy class, and reducing hours overnight at certain firehouses?” The Mayor, though, may be hedging his bets: "We obviously aren't going to send out checks when we don't have the money... for the moment."
Tagged
$400
city budget
City Council
homeowner rebate
mayor bloomberg
property rebate
rebate check
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .