By Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba and Bob von Sternberg
Sitting together in a small corner office of the state Capitol Thursday morning, Gov. Mark Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers once again thrashed over Minnesota's budget morass in an attempt to avert a shutdown of the state government at midnight.
After an hour and 15 minutes, all three shook hands and left the office, with Zellers and Koch heading elsewhere in the Capitol complex to continue meeting with other members of the Republican leadership team.
Republican Senate caucus spokesman Michael Brodkorb said another meeting between the two sides remains possible, but said none has been scheduled.
With barely 12 hours remaining before most of the government will begin shutting down, time is rapidly dwindling for Dayton to call a special legislative session that could avert that event, assuming legislators could pass at least a bill keeping the government's lights on.
During the meeting, fortified by Diet Coke and bottled water, Dayton sat at the head of the table, flanked on either side be Zellers and Koch. They occasionally passed pieces of paper and computer printouts among themselves, nodding and smiling slightly as one of the participants made a point.
No Dayton aides or other legislators were visible in the room. In keeping with their self-described "cone of silence," none of the participants commented after the meeting.
It was the seventh straight day of closed-door meetings between Dayton and the Republicans.
The two sides have been unable to agree how to beat down the state's $5 billion budget shortfall over the next two years. Dayton wants to raise income taxes on the top 2 percent richest Minnesotans, a plan Republicans reject. The GOP wants to balance the budget solely through cuts and accounting shifts, a plan Dayton won't accept.
Despite the secret meetings, which have stretched seven straight days, there was scant sign of a deal.
UPDATE: Dayton, Koch and Zellers met for less than a half-hour early Thurday afternoon, this time away from prying eyes. No progress was reported. No additional meetings were scheduled.
Legislators coming to the Capitol were greeted by hundreds of union protestors, urging the two sides to break the deadlock.
Gathering on Capitol steps, some held signs "I am a Proud Public Worker" and "Government Shutdown -- Harming Countless Minnesotans Is Not OK." Some held babies and others held umbrellas to protect them from the burning summer sun.
If the two sides can't come to an agreement by midnight, Minnesota will slip into the most wide-reaching government shutdown in state history.
State parks, rest areas and countless amenities Minnesotans rely on will be closed.
Only essential services like prisons, the highway patrol and state-backed health care will continue.
