“Unfortunately, nearly one year into the fiscal crisis, the City still has not substantially embarked on the significant restructuring and spending restraint needed to stablize its long-run finances,” said the head of the Citizens Budget Commission, Andrew Rein, after de Blasio’s presentation.



Hizzoner’s savings program, he added, is “too small and appears to disproportionately target program reductions instead of improving productivity or modifying employee benefits, both of which would minimize pain to New Yorkers at large.”



The CBC has been campaigning for City Hall to press labor unions for concessions on health care coverage — including requiring co-pays — and to consolidate the dozens of fringe benefit programs across municipal government as one way to yield savings. It estimates that productivity improvements and the benefit trims could generate $1 billion in savings annually.