Special Session Expected Friday Morning
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - A tentative agreement announced Wednesday morning by Governor Mark Dayton includes a provision involving the Destination Medical Center initiative that was sought by the City of Rochester.
The deal negotiated by the governor and legislative leaders should clear the way for a special session of the state legislature to convene later this week. It covers the three budget bills that were vetoed by Dayton and several other issues, including the DMC provision. It allows Rochester to use revenues from the new DMC sales tax to cover DMC-related administrative expenses. Without the change, property owners Rochester would likely have faced significant property tax hikes to cover those bills.
The governor's announcement of the agreement included the following statement.
“The sign of a true compromise is that no one is happy with it. Proponents and opponents of various policies across the political spectrum will be as unhappy with certain features as we, who ultimately had to accept them to avoid another government shutdown, the indefinite layoffs of 9,500 state employees, and severe disruptions of important public services."
Governor Dayton says he will convene a special session as soon the Republican and DFL legislative leaders review and sign a written agreement that defines the parameters of the session.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt says he expects that agreement to be signed Thursday morning and the special session to be called Friday morning to complete the state’s next budget and end the risk of a partial government shutdown next month.
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