Gov. Patrick Planning To Sign New Mass. Budget

Gov. Deval Patrick is planning to maintain his record of signing a new state budget ahead of the start of fiscal year.

Patrick plans to sign the spending plan, and issue any vetoes, during a ceremony in his office on Wednesday, the last day of the 2010 fiscal year.

The budget is for the 2011 fiscal year that begins Thursday.

The nearly $28-billion budget reflects the tough economic times that have gripped the state and the nation during nearly all of Patrick's first term in office.

The budget includes a 4 percent reduction in state aid to cities and towns, which Patrick had opposed. It also diverts nearly $200 million from the state's rainy day fund.

That decision was prompted by the last-minute failure by the Congress to appropriate additional anticipated federal money for the state.