Legislative leaders will be finishing up a number of sticky budget issues this week, including funding for state tourism and how much you'll pay for your driver's license.

But for the City of New Haven, the big bucks will be decided next week when the bonding bills are written. The city is looking for over $100 million for a number of projects and despite the financial times. The prospects are good.

Tearing down the long vacant Macy's building and constructing a community college campus on it and the vacant Malley's lot behind it is what's riding on the final weeks of the state budget process.

Mayor John DeStefano's plans for other projects downtown are also expected to be addressed in the upcoming state bonding negotiations. In addition to the college, he wants approximately $8 million to tear down the debt ridden Veteran's Memorial Coliseum to make way for a hotel, garage and new home for the Long Wharf Theater.

He also wants money from Hartford to finish the Ferry Street Bridge project.

What the New Haven mayor has going for him in securing all this money, despite the state financial crisis, is that he delivered when Republicans and the governor wanted a very tight state budget plan.

Led by New Haven State Rep. Bill Dyson, one of the most respected members of the general assembly, every New Haven state legislator voted for the state budget last month even though they didn't like it. It was the only city to do so.

News Channel 8 asked DeStefano today if there was a deal -- a quid pro quo -- to get all this bonding money for the city.

"There's not direct 'quid pro quo,'" he said. "What there was was an acknowledgement that we would work with you on this budget, which we don't like, but we understand the realities of the politics of the situation and we'd look for you to be partners with us going forward."

While a source within the governor's office told me that the $140 million price tag on the downtown project for Gateway Community College was way too high, the source did say some amount was likely to be approved.

All DeStefano wants in this budget is money to get started and it apparently looks pretty good.