Mendota Heights Legislators Respond to Shutdown, Ongoing Negotations

Rep. Rick Hansen (D-District 39A) reports he spent time over the long weekend mowing thistles at his farm near Harmony.

Gov. Mark Dayton, Senate Majority leader Amy Koch (R-District 19) and Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers (R-District 32B) might find such a prickly activity preferable to the task they still have before them.

Negotiators are attempting to bridge a in the state budget that sent the state into shutdown last week. The DFL governor is looking for a mix of cuts and increased revenue. That revenue could come from a number of sources including an income tax hike on top earners, fees, racino income, and/or surcharges.

Republicans, on the other hand, are holding fast to a commitment to reject any and all tax increases and solve the budget crisis predominantly through cuts in spending.

"You have two sides that are very, very dug in,” said Sen. Jim Metzen (D-District 39).

After talks failed to prevent a Friday, leadership took a “breather” and returned to their districts for the long weekend.

“I think it was actually good to have a little bit of a cooling off over the weekend,” said Hansen.

Neither Mendota Heights-area legislator is directly involved in the negotiation process at this time, but both have consulted in discussions about their respective fields of expertise: Metzen has worked on the , while Hansen is carefully watching the Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control legislation.

Hansen said he spent much of his Wednesday in his office solo, answering the calls and emails of constituents.

There’s no clear message being reflected back from the district, he said. “A lot of questions of ‘What are the sticking points?’ ‘What are the real problems?”

While some residents are siding with the governor, others are saying “no” to a tax increase. “It’s kind of all over the map.”

Both legislators have been contacted by worried laid-off state workers.

"It’s terrible. It’s real people getting hurt, and everybody knows a family or a next-door neighbor who's being hit by this thing,” said Metzen. “They’re real people and it hurts like hell.”

DFL House members also gathered in a caucus meeting Wednesday afternoon to report what they’re hearing from constituents and to talk through solutions.

Major sticking points involve both policy and financial decisions in nearly every sector of government, said Hansen. He also reported opposition to a GOP proposal to reduce spending by a blanket 15 percent by 2015, both in general fund spending and designated fund spending.

Metzen said he’s felt a common sense of frustration within the DFL party during negotiations.

 “I think the key thing is (Dayton's) trying,” said Hansen. And while the latest offer from Dayton for a $1 cigarette tax and a two percent “surcharge” on millionaires, coupled with education payment shifts and other cuts, is not ideal, Hansen called it a “compromise.”

“As he said, we’re not at our best options. We’re now farther down the list,” said Hansen.