Clarification on Frye memo
I just got off the phone with Penni Takade, deputy director of the Independent Budget Analyst’s office. She said Donna Frye’s memo is referring to a mid-year report on the deficit in the next fiscal year’s budget.
My conversation with Frye about her memo, which talked about a $60-million deficit, left me with the impression that she was talking about a current-year budget hole. I said to her, “Didn’t the City Council close the mid-year budget deficit (which had been $43 million)? I’m confused.” She paused and said she was as “puzzled” as I was.
The mid-year report, released a few weeks ago, Frye says, indicated a $45-million deficit, but, she said, city COO Jay Goldstone told the IBA that the estimated deficit is now $60 million.
The Mayor’s office had previously said the 2010 deficit could be as high as $54 million.
In any case, Takade said, the $60-million figure that has been mentioned in informal briefings between the Mayor’s office and the IBA’s office should be explained to the City Council and the public.
So Donna Frye is puzzled about what year we’re even talking about. That gives me HUGE confidence in her decision-making capabilities!