Libous Calls State Budget 'outstanding'
Published: March 29th, 2011
By: Melissa deCordova

NORWICH – State Senator Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, described Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget agreement with the state’s legislators on Sunday, one which does not increase taxes nor borrowing, as “outstanding” for taxpayers.

In addition, getting the budget completed before the fiscal year begins on Friday sends “a new message of trust, accountability and faith in government,” Libous said. The Senator spent most of yesterday personally calling media outlets throughout the state to express his satisfaction with the Democratically-led state government.

Cuomo’s budget is the first since 1983 to be presented on time.

The tentative $132.5 billion plan would reduce state spending by more than 2 percent. It further addresses a projected $15 billion structural deficit in school aid and Medicaid that would have resulted next year, Libous said.

Cuomo’s budget rejected the Assembly’s proposal for a millionaire’s tax to ease cuts, took a 10 percent cut by restructuring and consolidating agencies, such as the banking and insurance departments, and left out a proposed 2 percent property tax cap.

Cuomo and state legislators agreed on a 4 percent spending cap for Medicaid, the nation’s health-care program for the poor. Chenango County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard B. Decker said he had yet to comb through the budget, but said he anticipated the county’s share for social services programs such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Safety Net to increase again next year.

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