Hizzoner isn’t backing down.
Mayor Eric Adams told City Council members they may have to drag him to court if they want the Big Apple to implement their costly housing voucher program — which City Hall estimates will come with a price tag of up to $17 billion.
In a letter obtained by The Post Thursday, Adams’ Social Services Commissioner, Molly Wasow Park, told Councilwoman Diana Ayala that the package of bills “cannot be implemented” next month due to “substantial financial, operational and legal issues.”
“In the event of litigation, the administration may of course present additional arguments founded in law and public policy,” the letter continues.
Hizzoner already vetoed the legislation in June, arguing that lawmakers had overstepped their authority and cost the cash-strapped city billions of dollars.
City Hall has pegged the cost at $17 billion over five years — almost $7 billion more than the council’s projected $10.6 billion.
The authors of the legislation have fiercely disputed the higher estimate and a month later, in July, the City Council overruled the veto by a vote of 42-8.
It was the first override since the Bloomberg administration.
The legislation was set to go into effect on Jan. 9, 180 days after the override vote.
The Council has now vowed to “vigorously fight” the administration’s flouting of the new laws.
“New Yorkers don’t have the privilege to choose which laws they follow, and the same standard applies to the Mayor, who has a responsibility to comply with all local laws — there can be no double standard for City Hall,” Council spokesperson Rendy Desamours.
“If the Administration chooses to violate enacted laws and block New Yorkers from access to housing vouchers, it will only place Mayor Adams and the City at risk of legal action from the people most harmed – those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless being denied help by the Mayor.”
The City Council’s housing package will allow New Yorkers facing eviction to apply for vouchers without entering the shelter system, would bar landlords from deducting costs of utility bills from a voucher, and would increase the income level of cutoff to qualify for aid.
It also put an end to a rule requiring people to stay in shelters for 90 days before becoming eligible for a voucher.
While Hizzoner eventually embraced the shelter reform, Adams maintains that the lawmakers overstepped their authority with the other provisions, which are not a responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
“The Local Laws also seek to legislate in an area in which authority is reserved to the State,” the letter, dated Dec. 15, states.
“Rental assistance programs are governed by the Social Services Law (SSL), which gives plenary authority to DSS [Department of Social Services] to develop and administer these programs, subject to oversight by the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance,” it continues.
“The SSL generally gives no role to the City Council in the administration of these programs.”
The correspondence also claimed that the new laws would make it hard to provide targeted help for those who need it most because of the expanded eligibility criteria, leading to increased competition for eligible apartments.
Still, the letter opened the door for some iteration of the voucher program, in what appears could be a last-ditch attempt by City Hall to strike a new deal.
“However, litigation is not the only course that is available,” the letter reads, adding, “We very much appreciate and share the Council’s expressed intent to work as a constructive partner with the Administration, and look forward to productive dialogue.”
The latest showdown comes as the Big Apple has seen more than 160,000 migrants filter through the city’s shelter system since the spring of 2022.
Currently, more than half of the 122,000 people in Big Apple shelters are migrants.
Adams has warned that New York City has already spent more than $7 billion in addressing the migrant crisis — a figure that is projected to balloon to an eye-popping $12 billion by 2025.