Roseville Braces as Minnesota State Government Shuts Down

The state of Minnesota has officially shut down.

After weeks of intense negotiations, capped by closed-door sessions through Thursday’s waning minutes, Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican lawmakers failed to agree on an operating budget for the coming biennium.
In Roseville, city officials said they expect that a short state shutdown will have a minimal impact on local government services and projects.

At least two road projects in Roseville might be delayed if the state government shutdown comes to pass on July 1, a city official said.

“The mill and overlay (work) on County Road C-2 between Hamline and Snelling Avenue will halt until the shutdown is resolved,” said Carolyn Curti, Roseville communications specialist. 

Depending on the duration of the government shutdown, the Fairview Avenue pathway improvement project also may be delayed, Curti added. Construction on that project is scheduled to start in August, she said

In the wake of the state government shutdown, the Roseville License Center is likely to continue to see a sustained surge of business. City officials said their License Center will remain open to continue to process drivers’ licenses and passports, the result of planning ahead to have extra supplies on hand.  

But there won’t be any processing of boating, ATV or fishing licenses because the Department of Natural Resources Electronic Licensing system has been shutdown July 1.

On Thursday, a License Center supervisor said business was two to five times the normal workday volume of transactions. She noted that a line of customers started forming two hours before the Center’s 8 a.m. opening. 

The state shutdown comes after an intense week of negotiations between Dayton and Republican leaders. 

“I deeply regret that after two days of intense negotiations we have failed to reach an agreement,” Dayton said during a 10:30 p.m. press conference in his office.

Dayton continued: “I offered a plan to raise the taxes of only those Minnesotans who make more than $1 million per year. That is less than 0.3% of the state population. Despite many hours of negotiations, the Republican caucus remains adamantly opposed to new taxes.”

Earlier in the week, Gov. Dayton said a deal would have to be done by Wednesday in order to draft and pass the necessary legislation. But Thursday, the governor continued meeting with GOP leaders on-and-off trying to put an agreement in place.

At around 10 p.m. Thursday evening Gov. Dayton rejected a 2-page temporary funding deal from the GOP leadership that would keep the Minnesota government operational for an additional 10 days.

"There are a lot of people on the steps of the Capitol right now asking us to not shut down the government. This document is their answer,” Koch said referring to the lights-on bill.

When asked his response to the 10-day temporary funding bill, Gov. Dayton’s answer was frank and clear: “I think it’s a publicity stunt,” he replied.

Earlier in the week,  Dayton said a budget deal would have to be done by Wednesday in order to draft and pass the necessary legislation. But Thursday, the governor continued meeting with GOP leaders on-and-off trying to put an agreement in place. 

Roseville resident John Ridge—who works for the Minnesota Department of Revenue—was on the Capitol steps Thursday evening protesting the impending government shutdown.

“I really hate to be out of work,” he said. “It’s never happened before so I’m hoping that they come up with something so I’ll be back to work tomorrow or at least sometime next week.”

Also at the Capitol was Roseville resident Regina Fitzpatrick, another laid off state employee protesting the shutdown.

“My hope is that it will be short, but my fear is that it will be long,” Fitzpatrick said. “I hope that other people across the state will know that this is affecting families and lives.”

Shelly Arens, a state human services employee from Roseville who was laid off due to the shutdown, was also at the Capitol Thursday.

“I think it’s such a tremendous waste of time and money to go through this shutdown,” Arens said. “The preparations for the shutdown—the costs are just unbelievable.”

Thursday's events smacked of the political posturing that has become characteristic of these budget negotiations. 

There appeared a glimmer of hope early Thursday evening. But around 8:30 p.m., Rep. Tony Cornish (R-District 24B) reported to his seat in the Minnesota House saying he had received a message from the GOP leadership to do so. “There is always time for a deal,” Cornish told reporters as he walked into the House.

The gesture was called “grandstanding,” “theatrics” and “mock legislature” by Democratic minority leaders Sen. Tom Bakk and Rep. Paul Thissen.

Bakk took the podium at 9 p.m. and pleaded with his GOP counterparts to return to the negotiating table instead of sitting in the legislature. “We are running out of time,” he said plainly.

Bakk’s statement proved prophetic. Fiscal year 2012-13 began at 12:01 a.m. today and, without a budget in place, the State of Minnesota was unable to fund its myriad services or pay salaries to its almost 33,000 state employees—22,000 of which left their offices today without a job to return to.

Owing to a June 29 ruling by Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin, state correctional facilities, nursing homes, public safety, and payment of medical services are all considered “core functions” of government and will continue operating. Everything else is no longer functional until a budget deal is reached.

The heart of the impasse has always been the $1.8 billion difference between Gov. Dayton’s operating budget and the budget proposed by the GOP. Central to the issue is the method for closing Minnesota’s $5 billion budget gap.

Gov. Dayton and the GOP leadership haven’t committed to a date for the next round of negotiations.