Metro

Gov budget-cut order

ALBANY – Gov. Cuomo’s budget director is ordering state agency heads to request 2.5 percent less money next year.

And that’s after taking a 10 percent hit on their operating budgets this year.

Budget Director Robert Megna also told agency heads to develop “quantifiable metrics” to measure performance — such as progress in fixing deficient bridges — for the fiscal year that begins April 1.

Megna projects a $2.4 billion budget deficit for 2012-13, but Cuomo has said he expects lagging state tax collections to increase the gap.

Yet Cuomo has pledged to honor 4 percent spending hikes in education and health care for 2012-13.