NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) April 13, 1999--Standard&Poor's today assigned its single-'A'-minus rating to New York City, N.Y.'s $250 million GO bonds series 1999I due April 15, 2029. The bonds are scheduled to sell April 14, 1999. In addition, Standard&Poor's affirmed its ratings on the city's outstanding debt (see list below). The rating reflects: -- Improved financial performance as demonstrated by repeated budget surpluses, restrained expenditure growth, and progress in reducing out-year gaps. In addition, the city has started to experience an increase in property tax revenues and has limited its use of nonrecurring revenues. The rating anticipates that the city will continue to progress toward balancing ongoing revenue and expenditures while maintaining its use