budget

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis has presented the city council with the 2013 preliminary budget and levy Monday night. He's proposing freezing the tax levy, but spending less.

The St. Joseph City Council approved increases in the preliminary budget and levy for 2012 in last night's city council meeting.

The trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system have called an emergency meeting to consider the implications of a state government shutdown. The trustees are scheduled to meet Wednesday morning.

Lead Republican lawmakers for a schools spending bill say they're disappointed Gov. Mark Dayton didn't meet with them on Monday.Instead they met with members of Dayton's administration in the first of a series of budget talks proposed by GOP leaders.

Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders say they've agreed to a series of budget talks starting next week. But the Democratic governor says the meetings will be "just for show" unless they agree on the amount of money the state will spend in the upcoming two-year budget.

Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders are meeting for private budget talks after more than a week of public posturing. The regular legislative session ended last week without a budget deal, pushing the state toward a sweeping government shutdown if the dispute isn't resolved by the end of this month.

Gov. Mark Dayton is taking his push for a top-tier tax hike around the state Thursday as a budget standoff with Republicans continues. The Democratic governor is visiting Austin, Mankato, Moorhead and Duluth to highlight local cuts he says would result from the GOP's budget.

Gov. Mark Dayton has vetoed the entire Republican budget, ensuring a special legislative session. The Democratic governor struck down the nine bills on Tuesday, about 12 hours after the Legislature adjourned as required by the constitution.

Top Republican lawmakers are flying around the state Tuesday talking up the session that ended a day earlier without a budget deal. House Speaker Kurt Zellers, Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and others departed from St. Paul on Tuesday.

The final day of the Minnesota legislative session has arrived but there's no sign that Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP majorities are anywhere close to a deal on the state budget. Lawmakers must adjourn their regular session by midnight Monday.