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More meetings, still no state budget resolution
Posted by: under Funding, Gov. Mark Dayton, Minnesota legislature, State budgets Updated: June 30, 2011 - 1:35 PM
Huddled 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.
UPDATE: Dayton, Koch and Zellers met for less than a half-hour early Thurday afternoon, this time away from prying eyes. No progress reported. No additional meetings scheduled.
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