Parks take center stage in New York State budget battle

There's a yawning $9.2 billion dollar gap in the humongous $133 billion state budget, yet much of the talk at the public leader's meeting focused on what's in comparison a tiny amount- the $5 million or so it would take to open 55 of New York's parks and historic sites in time for the Memorial Day weekend. 

Legislative leaders rejected Paterson's offer to restore the money for the parks, because the bill would also raid $67 million from the state's environmental protection fund to help close the deficit. Paterson says if the parks stay closed this summer, it's the legislature's fault.

"It will be a responsibility that they will have to bear," said Paterson. "Because we have accommodated their wishes."

Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson says he's hopeful something can be worked out before the weekend.

"People can no longer afford to go on vacations," said Sampson, who said many New Yorkers will be having "stay-cations", and would like to visit the parks for "relaxation and relief."

Lawmakers have offered some alternatives to the governor's proposal to raid the environmental fund, saying the money could come from a tax on waste tires, for instance, but Paterson says those funds are already earmarked for something else, and he wants a new source of revenue to open the parks. The governor also chided legislative leaders for ignoring the "elephant in the room" that has lingered now for weeks. While lawmakers agree on how to close around $6.5 billion of the over $9 billion debt, they still differ on how to close the remaining $2.5 billion remaining.

 "At this point, it's inexcusable for us to be that far apart," said Paterson.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver proposed that the governor and legislative leaders decide on what amount to cut from each portion of the budget, health care, education, state agencies, and other areas, and then convene the long delayed legislative conference committees to hash out what exactly to cut. The Speaker says there could be enough progress to actually meet later in the week.

"It seems to make sense to everybody," Silver said.

Afterward, Paterson said progress was made, however incremental. He says the conference committee meetings were supposed to, by law, occur in the middle of March.

"We're closer to March than we are to May," said Paterson, who says lawmakers have so far refused to cross a "fundamental threshold."

"We're going to have to reduce spending," Paterson said.

Attorney General and now gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo was as close to Albany as he's been in recent days, appearing in nearby Troy to accept the endorsement of the Independence Party. Cuomo, who has proposed a number of reforms to state budgeting,  including a spending cap and a tax freeze, was reluctant to get drawn in to the current budget controversies, though he did offer some small measure of support for Paterson when he was asked about the stalemate over the parks.

"It would be a sad notion that the parks would be closed," said Cuomo. "I know the governor is working very hard to find was to fund the parks, and I'm hopeful."

Lawmakers claim they will be working hard, as well, in the coming days to resolve the budget crisis. The two major parties have scheduled their nominating conventions over the next few days, but legislators say they won't let the political events district them  from the fiscal crisis.