No one's pushing the panic button just yet, but Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan is putting a hiring freeze and purchasing moratorium in place, while the city waits to see if state lawmakers will say "yes" to her request for $12.5 million to close a budget gap.
Gov. Cuomo's budget amendment proposals--which came out yesterday--don't include that money, and Sheehan says while she believes state officials still see the request as a priority, "it is a process."
If the state doesn't approve the extra aid, Sheehan says the city will be looking at some deep spending cuts this year. Sheehan has consistently said that Albany gets less in state payments than other large upstate cities.
photo: City of Albany