Cuomo fiscal bill draws praise, but concern

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli praised Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's budget proposal as a continued plan for fiscal restraint, but along with top legislative leaders warned that the governor also wants to use the budget to grab power and reduce public oversight and accountability in the spending of billions of taxpayer dollars.

DiNapoli also said Cuomo's plan for 2012-13 would reduce transparency in how the public's money is spent and consolidate more power under the governor. DiNapoli said his fellow Democrat wants to exempt agency contracts from the comptroller's review, limiting a standard practice that provides better oversight and public disclosure.

Cuomo's budget also would "dramatically increase" the governor's power to move funds from one agency to another with less scrutiny and without regard for the original and publicly stated intent behind spending the money, DiNapoli said after releasing his analysis of the budget now being negotiated with legislative leaders.

Cuomo's budget director, Robert Megna, said in a statement that the budget requires state agencies to be more efficient. He said there is flexibility to "allow for a range of operational measures and . . . improve functions such as procurement, real estate, and information technology."

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver weren't buying it.

"The legislature is part of the government in Albany," said Skelos (R-Rockville Centre). "I believe when we appropriate and make a decision jointly with the governor, money should be spent a certain way, that's the way it should be spent. If the governor thinks it would be more efficient to spend it another way or another direction, then come back to the legislature and we'll work it out.

"But the legislature has to be part of that process," Skelos said Tuesday.

"We have concerns about the specific language contained in the proposal," Silver said in a statement. "However, we are willing to work with the governor to craft a bill that will meet our shared goal of creating efficiencies in the state budget," said Silver, a Manhattan Democrat.

In an interview, he agreed with Skelos that the legislature must be part of the process.

DiNapoli said Cuomo also would put $12.9 billion of his proposed $15 billion New York Works infrastructure program "off budget." Off budget means borrowing and spending wouldn't be subject to as much public disclosure or input by the legislature.