ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he is "still considering" calling lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special legislative session next month, but is also weighing other options to deal with a $350 million mid-year deficit.
"We are looking at a number of deficit reduction initiatives now that we could undertake, because there's no doubt that the numbers are collapsing and the numbers are collapsing quickly," Cuomo told reporters Monday after an economic development presentation. "We haven't come up with a plan of action yet, but we have options. ... I'll be discussing those options with the legislative leaders, formally, informally certainly, and depending on what the discussions bear, the possibility of a special session."
He declined to elaborate on what those options might be.
In December 2009, Gov. David Paterson announced he was delaying payments to school districts and income tax refunds so the state wouldn't run out of cash during a similar mid-year crunch. Paterson acted after legislators, despite the governor forcing them to convene, failed to reach agreement on a mid-year deficit plan.
Cuomo said he would not call a special session without a pre-determined agreement, simply for the "theater."
The current fiscal year runs through March. The 2012-2013 budget is already projected to be at least $3 billion in deficit.
Legislative leaders have not communicated any plans to their members to return to the Capitol before January, when their regular session begins.
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