ALBANY – Staffs for Gov. David A. Paterson and the legislature continued negotiating a new state budget yesterday, though no major progress was reported.

Despite Paterson’s order that lawmakers stay here, none were seen in the Capitol or the Legislative Office Building yesterday afternoon. However, the staffs of the Budget Division, Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee were working.The 2008-09 spending plan should have been in place last Tuesday. It’s already the tardiest budget in four years, but far from the record set in 2004 of 133 days late.

Major stumbling blocks to wrapping up the $124-billion spending plan appeared to be disagreements over $1 billion in building projects and whether to sunset increases in taxes and fees. In addition, tomorrow’s deadline for approval of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to charge motorists to enter parts of Manhattan on weekdays could further delay the budget.

Read the Rest…

Was everybody really working for the weekend? Or were they just really good at faking it?