Minneconsin? 2 states unite to fight deficits

Make way for Bucky Gopher and Goldy Badger.

With a few inevitable Vikings/Packers jokes thrown in, the governors of Wisconsin and Minnesota said Tuesday they are looking at ways to combine operations such as purchasing and technology to save money in the face of budget deficits projected at around $5 billion in each state.

The Upper Midwest neighbors will look at such steps as volume purchasing of the 600,000 tons of road salt they use each season; Wisconsin's borrowing Minnesota's helicopters for deer counts; and combining operations in areas such as licensing and call centers.

"Even though both states individually have great strengths, we think that if we can combine together, we can increase the likelihood of overcoming and getting through these enormous challenges ahead of us, " said Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who quoted legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi in a spirit of cooperation.

Pawlenty and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed executive orders directing their staffs to come up with plans for cooperation by Feb. 27. It's unclear how much may be saved from sharing state services, but Pawlenty said it could amount to millions of dollars.

As an example of possible efficiencies, Pawlenty heralded Wisconsin's system for determining eligibility for human services programs and suggested that Minnesota should contract out with Wisconsin rather than spend millions trying to duplicate it.

Among other areas being considered are cooperation in institutional food, such as in prisons; purchasing and licensing of software; sharing warehouse space; and cooperation in fishery and nursery operations and the Duluth and Superior harbor inspections.

Minnesota's largest state employees union bristled at the suggestion that consolidating operations would amount to any significant savings.

"It's Economics 101," said Jennifer Munt, a spokeswoman for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 5, which represents 19,000 Minnesota state workers. "Governor Pawlenty needs to recognize the economic crisis is going to be fixed by raising revenues and getting rid of government programs that don't work, like his JOBZ program."

Pawlenty acknowledged that job losses were likely in a consolidation, but said the governors want to work with unions to gain efficiencies and better serve the public. With half of Minnesota's state employees eligible for retirement in the next 10 years, Pawlenty said there is a need to develop different strategies.

"We're hoping that trying to keep jobs is better than keeping our silos and having more people being laid off," he said.

While the initial cooperative agreement would be between the two neighbors, neither Pawlenty nor Doyle would rule out working with other states, such as Iowa, for other services.

"What we're trying to sell here is an Upper Midwest region that has so many great assets. It's really not Wisconsin versus Minnesota. It's Wisconsin and Minnesota that want to demonstrate to the rest of the country and to the rest of the world all the assets we have."

Despite the spirit of cooperation, each governor took a separate state plane to mutual appearances in St. Paul and Madison at a cost of about $1,500 apiece.

Mark Brunswick • 651-222-1636