EDITORIAL: Dissecting the new state budget

Whatever way Albany finally found to cross the finish line, at least it's been crossed. The process of passing a state budget this year, more than four months behind schedule, was nasty. But now it's done, and the result is not bad, considering the expectations for this bunch.

Faced with the enormous challenge of closing a $9.2-billion deficit as the economy continues to stumble, state leaders pulled through with minimal tax increases. They didn't borrow to pay for operations. They put the brakes on spending.

Most of the credit for that goes to Gov. David A. Paterson. He threatened to shut down government and employed his legal right to call lawmakers back to Albany. His methods weren't ideal, but lawmakers had irresponsibly refused to make the difficult choices.

The legislature also did well to soften hikes in contributions to state pensions by reforming how local governments pay into the system - a necessary if regrettable amortization over 10 years. On the plus side, governments will be required to contribute more when the economy is flourishing.

It's unfortunate that a bill giving more autonomy to the State University of New York failed. Nor did this budget fundamentally align spending and revenue - a chronic problem. It's also unclear if the budget balance will hold, raising the specter of midyear whittling. The state budget division should run the numbers, and make sure this race is truly run. hN