NYS State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s latest “Cash Watch” bulletin suggests the state will deplete its cash resources to an “all-time low” after tomorrow’s scheduled $1.3 billion Medicaid payment and $2.2 billion in STAR and school aid payments.

“New York State is barely scraping by in December,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “While measures were taken by the Legislature and Governor to get the state through December, the state is literally down to petty cash. New York’s fiscal troubles are far from over.”

Here are the Comptroller’s numbers for today:

State Funds Available Cash Start of Business (amount of cash on hand to pay bills): $3.3 billion
Pending Payments Start of Business (vouchers payable today, does not include STAR, general purpose school aid and month-end Medicaid payments): $568.1 million
Estimated State Fund Receipts (tax, federal and misc. receipts from agencies received today): $488.8 million
Estimated State Funds Available End of Business (amount of cash on hand after paying bills and receiving in revenue: $3.2 billion
Sure, $3.2 billion sounds like a nice piece of change. But consider the Comptroller’s list of payments scheduled for tomorrow and due by Jan. 4:

STAR aid payments totaling $1.8 billion. “As ordered by the Governor, the state Division of the Budget issued a certificate of approval to the Comptroller’s office ordering a 19 percent reduction in STAR aid payments,” said the Comptroller’s release.
General support for public schools of $384.5 million, which is expected to be paid at 100 percent
Month-end Medicaid payments to providers totaling $1.3 billion, which the Comptroller’s office described as “one of highest Medicaid payments ever made by the state.”

That’s almost $3.5 billion, or some $300 million away from the state’s balance as of today.

(Source: Times Union)