This time last week, 35 of the City Council’s 45 Democrats were members of the Progressive Caucus.

But with new, more stringent prerequisites where there were effectively none before, the numbers are decreasing.

As of Wednesday, at least three members had left, all of them telling NY1 it’s about far more than the new statement of principles that, in part, pledges a holistic approach to public safety that would “reduce the size and scope of the NYPD and the Department of Correction.”

And they all insisted there are no bad feelings.

“It just didn’t align with the priorities in my community and so my focus is just to pass good legislation, including with members of the caucus, that basically serves our constituency and, at the end of the day, serves the city,” said Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez of the Bronx. “And my priority is not partisan politics.”

Velázquez, Justin Brannan of Brooklyn and Diana Ayala of the Bronx and Manhattan have bowed out of the caucus.

Progressive Caucus leaders now expect a signature on the two-page values statement, regular attendance at meetings and support of 75% of the legislation the group endorses.

Members have until Friday to decide whether to comply.

NY1 has learned that several others are on the fence.

“As of right now, I’m not 100% sure if I will be signing onto the pledge, but I do support everything they do in the Progressive Caucus,” said Councilmember Kevin Riley of the Bronx. “We’re championing the same things in the BLAC.”

Riley is co-chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus.

He said it’s premature to put out a values statement about funding as the budget season is just beginning.

Progressive Caucus leaders, including Lincoln Restler and Shahana Hanif, both of Brooklyn, said they’re committed to agendas that “invest in affordable housing, mental health, education and youth development, job opportunities, and create real safety and well-being in our communities.”

The members staying put emphasize a months-long deliberation over the bylaws.

“People were given full opportunities to digest information, to weigh in, to dialogue around what was on the table,” said Councilmember Alexa Avilés of Brooklyn. “And I think it’s a non-issue.”

Nationwide, calls to shrink police departments and “defund the police,” especially in the wake of high-profile incidents of police brutalizing Black Americans, have subsided as the issue becomes politically charged.

Many left-wing Democrats are pushing back on perceived fault lines, saying that keeping communities safe and keeping police accountable are not mutually exclusive.

Councilmember Crystal Hudson of Brooklyn said, “The question is: Do we want to invest in our public schools, our public hospitals and public housing or do we want to continue to put more money into a system that already has too much of it?”

Some councilmembers noted to NY1 that there are Democrats facing potentially tough elections against Republicans.

Others said the term “progressive” is now overused by Democrats and is in need of redefining.