Gov: Early budget process to boost openness, accountability
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- October
- 24
Today marked the first public event in a new process to develop an early state budget proposal. Members of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s Budget Office and legislative leaders heard from the leaders of the Education Department and Division of Criminal Justice Services on what they want included in next year’s spending plan.
The hearings continue Thursday and Friday, when the Division of Budget and lawmakers will hear proposals for funding in health care, mental health and social services, and capital funding for parks, economic development and transportation. The public can tune in at www.budget.state.ny.us. (The hearings are at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday, and 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday.)
The governor and lawmakers agreed early in the year to revise the budget development process. The point of the “quick start” method is to increase accountability and allow time for the governor and heads of the Senate and Assembly to reach a consensus on revenue and expense estimates and release a report detailing them by Nov. 15. After that, the Division of Budget will hold a series of “town meetings” to educate the public about “impending budget challenges” and specific areas of the budget, Spitzer said in a statement.
“We cannot change the finish line for when the budget must be enacted, but we can move up the starting line,” the governor said.
Spitzer, who releases his budget proposal in January, said he anticipates a gap of $3.6 billion in 2008-09. Legislators have until April 1 to pass a budget.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 at 5:25 pm by Cara Matthews.
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Jay Gallagher has covered Albany for Gannett News Service since 1984 and has been Albany Bureau chief since 1989. He`s a native of the Boston area and likes to point out that in this millennium, the score is Red Sox 1 championship, the Yankees 0. 
Cara Matthews has been a statehouse correspondent in the Albany Bureau since August 2005. Prior to that, she covered Putnam County government and politics at The Journal News for nearly five years. Before that, she worked at newspapers in Connecticut and covered the state Legislature for one of them. 
