Pay the ‘Bills’ & lots more

There’s a lot of pork, and even some bison, embedded in the state’s $212 billion budget agreed to by Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature.

One $4,605,000 line item in the budget is targeted for “services and expenses of contractual payments related to the retention of professional football in Western New York.”

That would be state money for the Cuomofavorite Buffalo Bills football team, which made a playoff run this past NFL season.

Spendthrift lawmakers also put out a slew of press releases Wednesday boasting about how they delivered the bacon in the state budget.

Bronx Sen. Gustavo Rivera told constituents there’s a “continuing $108 million for the development of the Kingsbridge Armory” in his district.

The facility has been dormant for decades.

Rivera also said he secured “at least” $650,000 for local organizations in his district.

Indeed, hundreds of cultural and community groups get funding.

The Belle Harbor Yacht Club garners $45,000 for “building improvement.”

There are promotional grants for scores of agricultural groups, including $125,000 for a Christmas-tree farmers association “to promote Christmas trees” and $50,000 to Hop Growers of New York to promote New York hops.

Grants are seemingly awarded to nearly every county business trade group and local improvement district.

Tens of millions of dollars in spending are listed as “lump sum” appropriations — meaning the public doesn’t know precisely where the money is going, critics said.

“The budget also includes an unexplained, out-of-the-blue $385 million appropriation for the state’s biggest capital pork barrel fund, the State and Municipal Facilities Program, even though nearly $2 billion remains unspent and local governments whose projects are funded with SMFP money are already awash in federal stimulus cash,” said EJ McMahon, fiscal analyst at the Empire Center for Public Policy.