That reduction would be in addition to $123 million in tax cuts that the Speaker proposed earlier this year.

The Council's Speaker, Peter F. Vallone, has proposed extending the city's 12.5 percent income tax surcharge, used to hire extra police officers, to pay for rebuilding the city's schools.

Standing orders allow the Speaker (or, in committee, the chairman) to propose the selection of specific amendments and the rejection of others for debate, to this end.

Earlier this week, the Speaker proposed tougher penalties against juvenile offenders, embracing several ideas advanced by Gov. George E. Pataki, a Republican.

The Speaker (or chairman, if Parliament is in committee) then proposes the motion in the form of a question, following which other MPs may debate the motion.

So in January, the Speaker of the City Council, Peter F. Vallone, proposed extending the income-tax surcharge that expires this year.

The Speaker proposed letting the voters decide the issue by having the Council put a referendum on the November ballot.

The Speaker will then propose the question by saying, for example, "The Question is, that the Bill be now read a second time".

A more likely strategy for dealing with the lost commuter tax revenue would be to abandon some of the tax cuts that the Mayor and the Speaker had proposed, the aides said.

Speakers at a conference on lead poisoning held last month at the Massachusetts Statehouse proposed strict measures for preventing lead poisoning.