Different versions of a $30 billion state budget go this week before a legislative conference committee, three members of which hail from western Massachusetts.

But don't expect that regional representation to spare towns and cities, which will see local-aid cuts for the fourth straight year. The cut would amount to about $65 million, or about 7 percent.

"Make no mistake: This is a painful budget," said state Senate Ways and Means Chairman Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, after the Senate's May 27 passage of a $29.2 billion budget that must now be reconciled with an equally tight House version. "Simply put, the money is not there. We were forced to make painful reductions but have remained dedicated to preserving services for the neediest citizens in this state."

Despite what appears to be improving revenue coming into state coffers, there's a need to remain cautious in spending, said Brewer, whose district includes several of the communities hardest hit by last week's tornado damage.

State Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, who as Ways and Means vice-chairman in the House will also be on the conference committee - along with state Sen. Michael Knapik, R-Westfield - agreed.

"Most us believe it's too early to count on that money. It's great that it's coming in ahead of projections, but we're not yet finished with Fiscal 2011 ... so we're not spending that money in anticipation of a continuing upward trend in revenues, because it can change month to month."

The Senate budget relies on $209 million from the state's rainy day account, but Kulik said a priority in both chambers is to put any excess revenues into the reserve account, because over the past three years, it's been drained from about $2.1 billion to roughly $700 million.

"We want to always be prepared for the next downturn," he said.

Both versions include similar funding levels for local aid and school aid, as proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick earlier this year.

The Senate calls for a $27.3 million Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes program - $2 million higher than the level-funded House amount that was also part of the governor's recommendation. The Senate - adopting an amendment offered by state Sen. Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield, and supported by state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, added $3 million to the governor's recommended $40.5 million level-funded, regional school transportation account - "a big win for western Mass., and for regional schools statewide," said Downing. "We'll try to make sure that stays in the budget."

While the House had recommended keeping the Department of Agricultural Resources at current levels, the Senate would trim about $300, according to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. The center is still working on a thorough analysis that compares the House and Senate versions of the budget. General school aid would increase by $139 million next year under both proposals. Meanwhile, the House has approved $213 million for the special education "circuit breaker" program - $80 million more than current level and about $20 million more than the Senate appropriation.

Both proposals also call for allowing towns and cities greater control over the design of health plans for public workers, curbing the collective bargaining rights of municipal and school employees.

The Senate version would allow municipalities to bypass collective bargaining in design of health plans if their health-care costs are more than 10 percent higher that the state's General Insurance Commission, said Downing.

The Senate also establishes a three-member panel - with representatives from the municipalities, unions and the state Executive Office of Administration and Finance - to settle health-plan disagreements that have gone on more than 30 days.

Again, the state health plan would be the benchmark against which the "last, best offer" would be judged, Downing said.

But overall, said Kulik, the two versions of the budget for the year that begins July 1 show "a lot of areas of similarity. That reflects how limited our spending was this year."