State expenses being revised up in many cases

The mid-year update to the state budget makes some changes in estimated costs for 2009-10. In most cases, programs will be more expensive to operate, according to the financial plan. Examples include:  

   —Higher projected school-aid costs of $13 million. The increase is primarily being driven by growth in building aid and excess cost aid for special education.

  —Less state Lottery money available for education. New games offered this year have not performed as well as expected.

   —The state’s share of child welfare services is expected to grow by $31 million because of projected growth in local child-welfare claims. The state pays 63.7 percent of certain services.

   —The cost-of-living allowance increase for human-services workers will cost $35 million more than expected because the 12-month consumer-price increase the raises are based on is 5.6 percent, not 3.5 percent as originally estimated.

  —Projected health-insurance costs for state employees and retirees have been reduced by about $100 million.

  —State University of New York and City University of New York community colleges will cost $28 million more than expected in 2009-10 because of growth in enrollment projections.

  —New laws passed this year are expected to add $1.7 million this year and $3.2 million in the future, including legislation that requires crisis-intervention and community services for sexually exploited youth; the creation of a statewide cancer-incidence map; and setting up guidelines to prevent “over-concentration” of sex offenders in communities.

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