Making an appearance in North Tonawanda, Niagara County, earlier today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo again praised the agreement between the state and Council 82, which included a pay freeze and an increased employee contribution to health care.

“I think the Council 82 contract is a fair and reasonable contract. It recognizes the economic realities that we’re in. The state is functionally bankrupt. If the public employees think they can get a big raise from the state, they can’t. We don’t have the money. I think it was a fair and reasonable contract.”

Cuomo’s Wednesday announcement that Council 82, a union that represents about 160 law enforcement officials (it does not represent correction officers or State Police) had agreed to its first contract in five years. The governor used the agreement as a chance to show the larger public-employee unions that concessions can be made, a statement that union officials shrugged off.

“We’re still at the table with CSEA and PEF, we’ll see what happens,” Cuomo added.

Asked about the possibility of the much sought-after economic development program for SUNY Buffalo known as UB2020, Cuomo said he would continue to fight for its approval, which would grant autonomy in certain areas for the campus.

“UB2020 is a very important project. It is I believe a long term economic engine for western New York that you need and I”m going to work as hard as I can to make it a reality. I know there are issues in the Legislature. Fundamentally what we’re trying to do in Albany as colleagues is make the government work.”

UB2020 was not in the final approved budget plan, but the governor said he would hold a “summit” on the issue.

Cuomo was in Niagara County to officially sign the bill that creates the Recharge NY program, which provides low-cost power to businesses in exchange for job creation.

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