MMB revises unallotment plan
Tom Hanson, the commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, said the plan keeps in place most of the major portions of Governor Pawlenty's plans to erase a $2.7 billion budget deficit. The changes increase the level of cuts to some health and human services programs but restores funding for a private mental health facility in Minneapolis and the White Earth Band of the Ojibwe. Hanson said they made the changes after listening to stakeholders and lawmakers
"Whenever you come up with any kind of budget plan, it's always better to vet it a little bit and We vet it internally and then we try to vet it externally like we did."
Hanson said the cuts in state aid to local government will mean the state will pay $6 million more in property tax refunds to taxpayers. Hanson will hold another meeting with lawmakers next week but said they have already met the consultation requirement specified in law. He said they'll proceed with their unallotment plans on July first.
You can read the entire letter here.
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