Lawmakers squabble as state budget impasse continues

Thursday starts another fiscal year without a budget in place.

Progress toward a 2010-11 fiscal plan wasn't apparent Wednesday as lawmakers blamed each other and Gov. David A. Paterson gave a brief televised speech statewide.

New York has only had on-time budgets in two of the past 25 years, both in the final term of Gov. George Pataki.

"A responsible budget is more important than what time it is actually passed," Paterson said.

Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch and State Sen. John Sampson of Brooklyn, the Democratic leader, were expected last night to discuss Ravitch's plan for closing a projected $60-billion deficit over the next five years. Senate Democrats so far have rejected the proposal because it relies on borrowing $6 billion over three years.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli decried the 2009-10 budget, saying it was based on flawed numbers that led to midyear spending cuts and delayed payments.

New York would have run out of money yesterday if Paterson hadn't delayed $2.1 billion in school aid and $500 million in income tax refunds. The state ended the fiscal year with $2.3 billion on hand.

"We can't let the same thing happen again," DiNapoli said, referring to the 2010-11 budget. "New York needs a realistic state budget."

The Senate and Assembly last week adopted separate budget resolutions that fall more than $1 billion short of Paterson's proposed cuts. The Senate also rejected his tax increases while the Assembly only endorsed a $1 hike in the cigarette tax.

Paterson said Wednesday lawmakers want "too little spending reductions and too much borrowing." The state faces a $9.2-billion deficit for the new year.

Separately, the Public Employees Federation rejected calls for layoffs or reopening its contract to delay a 4-percent wage increase, effective Thursday. "Until the state moves decisively to slash the use of costly consultants, PEF will not accept any demand for give-backs," said union president Kenneth Brynien.

Lawmakers criticized each other for the late budget.

Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), the minority leader, said the Democratic majorities in both houses should have remained in the Capitol despite Passover and Easter. "We should have been doing everything possible to get a budget in place before the deadline," he said. "Instead, the Democrats punted and ran."

Sampson aide Austin Shafran shot back that Senate Democrats were working to achieve a budget that controls spending, provides property-tax relief and creates jobs while also protecting schools and hospitals.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) was unavailable to comment. Suffolk Executive Steve Levy, who seeks the GOP nomination for governor, will Thursday call for reforms to the budget-making process.