Albany Watch

Gov. David Paterson wouldn’t predict when he and lawmakers will reach a deal on the budget—maybe tomorrow he said. And thus he wouldn’t say how long he plans to keep them in town.

“I feel that we are continuing to negotiate and we are just going to have to lock this down as soon as we can,” Paterson told reporters after announcing a deal on public authorities reform.

As for whether he’ll keep the Legislature in town until a deal is reached: “I’m not going to make any long-term threats, but as you’ve noticed although it has not been done, we continue to work.

“Some officials said the sides are about $200 million apart, but Paterson urged that it’s not about hitting the $3.2 billion target as much as it is establishing recurring budget savings.

He has proposed cutting $1.3 billion in state spending, mainly through cuts to schools and health care. Senate Democrats have balked at the cuts, instead offering about $600 million in cuts to areas other than education.

“To me, it isn’t the quantitative agreement on a number,” the Democratic governor said. “It’s the quality of actually hitting the target in ways that will be real and recurring.”