Editorial: New York's $140B 'Big Ugly'
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is joined by local officials to talk about a property tax freeze at the Capitol on Monday, March 17, 2014 in Albany. Credit: Albany Times Union / Lori Van Buren
Those little but eye-opening details of just what's in New York's 2014-15 budget will be revealed this week when the massively complex document on how the state will spend roughly $140 billion is finally printed and released.
This annual Albany ritual is not called the "Big Ugly" for no reason.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate co-leaders Dean Skelos and Jeffrey Klein spent the final hours of their negotiations discussing education money -- from boosting school aid on Long Island to funding pre-K programs in New York City. Otherwise, most of the changes seem to be small ball. Don't expect any serious mandate relief for local governments or bold new programs.
Voting is scheduled for Monday.
