Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Friday that he will begin sending letters next week demanding new across-the-board cuts from city agencies as hope for additional state funding fades.

“Next week, we will send out a letter to all the agencies requiring them to give us plans in the next few weeks on how we’re going to reduce our expenses by another $600 million,” the mayor told WOR’s John Gambling during his weekly radio sit-down.

“We’re going to go ahead and do this. We don’t have any choice. And it’s really hard to see how Albany can come up with enough money to make a difference,” Bloomberg said. “Nobody’s going to be happy.”

But Bloomberg did say he was “optimistic” about reaching a deal with the governor over replacing the state’s seniority-based teacher firing laws with a merit-based system following a week of heated rhetoric that had the two men going head-to-head.

“Cuomo and I will work something out. I’m optimistic. I’ve always been,” said Bloomberg, echoing comments the governor made Thursday saying the two would work together to find a plan.

(Source: DNA Info)