Barring unforeseen developments, Democratic Party lawmakers and Gov. M. Jodi Rell will not alter the $18.7 billion budget for the next fiscal year.

Today is the last day of the short session of the General Assembly, but one possible snag to the budget decisions are the issues of providing increased funding to nursing homes and nonprofit agencies and smaller-than-expected aid for cities and towns.

In normal economic times when a budget crisis doesn't loom, both political parties would probably be dueling over the budget on the last day.

Despite adjustments and expected financial problems, the state budget will still increase by 4.1 percent in the fiscal year starting July 1. However, that increase is lower than the 4.7 percent increase Rell sought in her February budget proposal and less than many Democrats had hoped for in the coming fiscal year.

With fears of declining revenues, Gov. Rell announced it was time for the State of Con­necticut to cut back and do without.

Budget Director Robert Genuario and others agreed the budget deficit numbers were accurate. A week ago, Rell said the state faces a $19 million deficit in the current fiscal year.

And the next day, Comptroller Nancy Wyman said the fiscal outlook would

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be even bleaker and her office projected a $67.7 million deficit. Most recently, Democrats were estimating $80 million.

Rell and others said they believe Connecticut, with its relatively small population buoyed by large pockets of prosperity, is better off than many other states and also does have a $1.3 billion rainy day fund. For example, New York and New Jersey, have deficits in the billions of dollars. However, New Jersey has twice the population of Connecticut and the New York state population is about 19 million, according to The World Almanac.

"Forecasts say we will continue to see declining revenues," she stated in a press release. "Economists, Wall Street leaders and business leaders on Main Street all believe we are in a recession -- even if Washington has not yet confirmed it.

"I said in February, and I will say again now, that I will do everything in my power to keep us from joining the nearly three dozen states facing massive deficits. That means holding the line on spending and living with the budget we have already adopted.

"There are a lot of worthy and well-intentioned proposals to increase spending out there. I know -- some of them were mine. But we cannot afford them -- just like a family that wants a new car but cannot afford it."

She also highlighted several items from the Fiscal Year 2009 budget which she considers significant. They include:

- Implements the second year of a budget that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers.

- Contains sizable increase in municipal aid, particularly for education. From FY08 to FY09, all municipal aid increases by $131.5 million, of which $101.6 million is for education.

- Continues significant investment in early childhood education by providing funding so that 1,000 more students may participate.

State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, a Fairfield Republican, said the priority is figuring out a deficit figure that everyone can work from at this point. "If we're going to back an agreement, we need to be working off the same numbers," he said.