11.   He said he emphasized that the council had to stick together when it came to adopting the budget negotiated by the mayor and the speaker every year.

12.   He was urging Congress to adopt his budget without exceeding spending goals.

13.   Last year, the mayor and the City Council adopted a budget that allocated the majority of the surplus for new programs and tax cuts.

14.   Such updates normally are conducted before the final state budget is adopted.

15.   The failure to win all the budget assistance the city had wanted from the state will make the process of adopting a budget that much harder.

16.   The mayor and Vallone have usually tried to work out their differences quietly, and the Democratic Council has usually chosen to adopt city budgets with relatively little fuss.

17.   These were the latest shots in a battle that erupted on Friday, when the Council defied Giuliani by adopting a budget without his endorsement.

18.   Vendors who supply goods and services to the state will not be paid until a budget is adopted.

19.   Under the City Charter, the mayor reveals what the city can expect in non-property tax revenues only after the council adopts a budget.

20.   Yet in a curious juxtaposition of priorities, Congress this year has managed to give tax money back to citizens without adopting a budget for national defense.