Minn. public takes crack at fixing deficit

By MARTIGA LOHN , Associated Press
Last update: May 29, 2009 - 12:18 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesotans are looking everywhere from liquor sales on Sunday to racetrack gambling to bring more money into the state budget. Others want to save on items as big as entire government programs and as small as printing fewer legislative directories.

So far, more than 1,600 people e-mailed ideas to Gov. Tim Pawlenty as he prepares to cut and delay $2.7 billion in spending to balance the budget. The Republican governor will make the cuts without legislative approval because the session ended last week without a deal.

Democrats tried fixing the budget with a last-minute mix of taxes and school payment delays destined for a veto. Now, Pawlenty plans to erase the remaining shortfall on his own by reducing spending and delaying payments.

Pawlenty plans to announce the reductions before the new state budget begins on July 1.

Suggestions have been coming into an e-mail address, budgetideas@state.mn.us, that started receiving messages on May 19.

Pawlenty's office wouldn't release all the e-mails, citing state data practices law and an office policy to protect constituents' privacy, but selected five samples after removing names and identifying information.

One saw tax money sitting in cars that cross the border to buy booze: "Allow MN liquor stores to open on Sundays. Create tax revenue. Create jobs. Save gas, as you wouldn't believe the MN cars that line up at WI border towns waiting for the off sale to open on Sunday."

Another pitched a money-maker that Pawlenty has dismissed and got little attention during the session: State-backed gambling, such as a casino at Canterbury Park racetrack in Shakopee. The writer said similar racinos are working elsewhere.

"They are providing state and local governments with BILLIONS," the e-mail said.

The lack of a budget deal between Pawlenty and Democrats who control the Legislature left a shortfall heading into the upcoming two-year budget, even with all major spending bills signed into law. Pawlenty plans to use a gubernatorial power called unallotment to cancel or delay payments during a deficit.

Unallotment authority is limited to already approved spending, which means the governor can't single-handedly create a state-run casino or change liquor laws.

Pawlenty said Thursday he aims to make the bulk of the reductions in the second year of the cycle, starting in July 2010.

"That will give the Legislature some time to come in and review some of those decisions and alter them or change then if they choose," he said at the Capitol.

Other e-mails released by Pawlenty's office urged cuts — evenly across state government or for specific programs and services.

Gubernatorial spokesman Brian McClung said about 30 percent of the messages urged Pawlenty not to cut health and welfare programs, compared with about 6 percent who wanted to spend less on those programs. Another 20 percent supported the budget-balancing actions and slightly less than 10 percent wanted taxes raised.

McClung said four Republican legislators and one DFL lawmaker have contacted the office.

DFLers also collected thousands of public comments on the budget earlier this year in a series of statewide public hearings and through the House and Senate Web sites. About 6,000 people submitted ideas to the House Web site alone.

A review of those messages showed a mix of ideas, from the general ("Do not cut education budgets," one said) to the very specific: "School gyms could be wedding spaces etc. Think of the income that could be generated!!"

Others looked to save by turning down the heat in state offices, reducing the number of school sports games, eliminating farm subsidies and mowing roadside ditches less often.

One mayor went against his counterparts who have been pleading with Pawlenty not to cut too much into their state aid, using the governor's new e-mail to say his city is prepared to take another reduction.

"I'm ok with them doing more severe cuts to local government aid in St. Bonny, because we've already been planning for this," said Rick Weible, mayor of St. Bonifacius in the western Twin Cities. "But my preference would be that they make the cuts sooner than later."

The lack of a budget deal between Pawlenty and Democrats who control the Legislature left a shortfall heading into the upcoming two-year budget, even with all major spending bills signed into law. Pawlenty plans to use a gubernatorial power called unallotment to cancel or delay payments during a deficit.

Unallotment authority is limited to already approved spending, which means the governor can't single-handedly create a state-run casino or change liquor laws.

Pawlenty said Thursday he aims to make the bulk of the reductions in the second year of the cycle, starting in July 2010.

"That will give the Legislature some time to come in and review some of those decisions and alter them or change then if they choose," he said at the Capitol.

Other e-mails released by Pawlenty's office urged cuts — evenly across state government or for specific programs and services.

Gubernatorial spokesman Brian McClung said about 30 percent of the messages urged Pawlenty not to cut health and welfare programs, compared with about 6 percent who wanted to spend less on those programs. Another 20 percent supported the budget-balancing actions and slightly less than 10 percent wanted taxes raised.

McClung said four Republican legislators and one DFL lawmaker have contacted the office.

DFLers also collected thousands of public comments on the budget earlier this year in a series of statewide public hearings and through the House and Senate Web sites. About 6,000 people submitted ideas to the House Web site alone.

A review of those messages showed a mix of ideas, from the general ("Do not cut education budgets," one said) to the very specific: "School gyms could be wedding spaces etc. Think of the income that could be generated!!"

Others looked to save by turning down the heat in state offices, reducing the number of school sports games, eliminating farm subsidies and mowing roadside ditches less often.

One mayor went against his counterparts who have been pleading with Pawlenty not to cut too much into their state aid, using the governor's new e-mail to say his city is prepared to take another reduction.

"I'm ok with them doing more severe cuts to local government aid in St. Bonny, because we've already been planning for this," said Rick Weible, mayor of St. Bonifacius in the western Twin Cities. "But my preference would be that they make the cuts sooner than later."