Thank goodness for Tiger Woods and his off-course exploits: The stories have taken the heat off the state Legislature and their inability to help right the budget deficit as it heads steadily toward the precipice of insolvency.
The state is leaking money faster than a sieve carrying water.
But unlike the lawmakers, Gov. David Paterson doesn”™t want to shift focus away from the state”™s dire straits. He wants it to be front and center.
In an interview with NY 1, Paterson chastised the reporter for asking about his potential opponents in next year”™s election. Paterson suggested asking a more pertinent question such as “like what we”™re going to do in January if the revenues don”™t come back and the state is nearly insolvent?”
Paterson last week ordered $750 million in reductions to the $4.9 billion in payments scheduled during December.
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said, “The state”™s continued cash shortfall is causing problems at every level of government. The consequences are becoming evident across the state.”
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At the start of business on Dec. 15, the state had $1.5 billion in cash on hand to pay bills. Pending payments were $781.8 million. The latter figure included a nearly ?$405 million payment to cities for the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities program. The original payment of $481 million was scaled back 10 percent by Paterson to help the state keep a positive cash position and avoid taking a hit from credit rating agencies.
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In addition to the 10 percent across-the-board cut, aid was reduced for 13 municipalities ”“ including Yonkers and White Plains ”“ as part of the Deficit Reduction Plan passed by the Legislature on Dec. 2.
What that means in hard numbers is that for December, Yonkers was originally scheduled to receive $10,461,462. However, subtracting $1,130,746 as part of the deficit reduction and then cutting another 10 percent, the city ended up receiving $8,397,645.
For White Plains, the original $952,802 it was supposed to receive was cut back to $698,326.
The governor did say that the 10 percent cuts would be paid back once the state was in a financial position to do so. Don”™t hold your breath.
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The rest of the month is laden with big payouts: $2.5 billion for School Property Tax Relief Program (STAR); $398 million for welfare reimbursements to counties; and $247 million to insurance carriers.
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DiNapoli said the STAR payments and the others are expected to be reduced by the Division of the Budget by about 19 percent.
Fallout from the state lawmakers”™ lack of cohesiveness toward working together was evidenced last week in a new poll that found a phenomenal 72 percent of voters disapproved of the job the Legislature was doing.
Quinnipiac University said it was the lowest approval rating for any state legislature in any state polled by the college. Let”™s see how the lawmakers handle that dubious distinction in the upcoming election season, which may prove a bit harder than in the past as 46 percent of those polled say their own state senator should be voted out of office.
“It”™s a polling cliché that voters don”™t like the Legislature but do like their legislator.  Even that seems to be fraying,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “A number of voters would keep their legislator, but a larger number think we ought to completely clean house.”
This might be the last New Year”™s Day many lawmakers will be calling the Capitol their place of business.
