By James T. Madore and Juliann Vachon

Unable to reach agreement with lawmakers on the budget deficit, Gov. David A. Paterson said yesterday he would act unilaterally while preparing next year’s fiscal plan.

“There are some ways that I can still undertake, and will, to try to save the state further money,” he said in Washington.

“But we’re talking about a few hundred million dollars, perhaps topping out at a billion dollars. The problem is that there are 14 billion dollars to go,” he added.

Paterson pegged the budget shortfall at $15 billion over the next 16 months – a sum requiring action by the legislature.

In Albany, budget office spokesman Matt Anderson said the governor will permanently move a STAR payment for New York City from December to June, saving $93 million this year and $20 million in 2009-10. He also will end a program that allows state workers to exchange vacation time for cash, saving $5 million this year.

Fiscal experts, including state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, outlined a range of other budget-cutting options that Paterson could deploy before lawmakers reconvene in seven weeks. These include cuts to discretionary spending by large state agencies, tapping $1 billion in reserves, laying off employees and pushing expenditures into 2009-10.

“Managing expenses with some of those other options will help in the short term to address the gap, recognizing the legislature will be back in the first week of January and presumably will help,” DiNapoli told Newsday.

Anderson replied that “everything is on the table” in terms of spending reductions, but that the governor would only agree to trim the state payroll and put off payments “as a last resort.” The 2008-09 budget totals $120.8 billion.

Anderson warned against dipping into the $1-billion reserve fund, which Albany also uses to finance cash flow. If the fund is exhausted, the state would have to borrow more and its credit rating could be undermined.

“Given the size of the deficit, we need a partner in the legislature to close it,” Anderson said.

Such cooperation was absent Tuesday as Paterson and lawmakers bickered publicly over his deficit-reduction plan. He was forced to cancel the special legislative session.

In Washington yesterday, the governor sought to reassure congressional leaders that Albany’s gridlock would end in January when Democrats take charge of the State Senate for the first time in 43 years. He made the trip with business executives, labor leaders, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans), who is expected to become Senate leader.

Paterson repeated his earlier calls for state aid to be included in a second stimulus package now being debated on Capitol Hill.

He has blamed Republicans, particularly Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), for scuttling the special session. Skelos wasn’t formally invited on the Washington trip, though Paterson said Tuesday that all leaders were welcome. The trip was initiated by Silver.

Skelos spokesman Scott Reif said, “While Senator Skelos has been outspoken regarding the need for additional federal funding to assist New York in overcoming our extraordinary fiscal challenges, this trip was arranged by the governor.”

Separately yesterday, Marist College released a poll showing Paterson’s approval rating has slipped since the budget crisis intensified. Fifty-one percent of the registered voters surveyed Tuesday said Paterson was doing an “excellent” or “good” job, down from 57 percent last month. The poll of 613 people had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.