Steve Petersion, St. Paul, column: Candidates must spell out how they'd balance budget

By Steve Peterson

ST. PAUL -- Five billion eight hundred million. That is the projected size of Minnesota's two-year budget deficit that the next governor will have to solve.

That's enough money to build 10 Target Fields and still have $360 million in change. It's equal to 1.1 percent of the state's total two-year economy of $524 billion.

No matter how you look at it, the deficit poses a serious economic problem for the state. But for the gubernatorial candidates, it poses a big political problem, too.

To balance the state's budget, there are, for all practical purposes, only two options: spend less or tax more. Since this is an election year, we will hear lots of ideas to balance the budget that do not include those two phrases -- ideas such as reform, downsize, efficiencies, revenue enhancements and growth.

But in the end, in order to fully balance its budget, the state will have to spend less, tax more or pursue a combination of both.

So far, none of the major party candidates for governor have created a comprehensive detailed balanced budget. But two -- DFL candidate Mark Dayton and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner -- are closer than the third.

I understand why; during an election season, sometimes it's easier to leave voters in the dark.

But a $5.8 billion budget deficit is equal to 15 percent of the state's General Fund spending. If the state halted all general fund dollars going to public safety, state government, environment, energy, natural resources, economic development, agriculture, veterans, and transportation, Minnesota still would have a $2.3 billion budget deficit.

The $5.8 billion deficit is double what the state General Fund spends on higher education and nearly six times what it spends on local government aid.

If K-12 education is held harmless (as many lawmakers believe it should be), the deficit balloons to 25 percent of the remaining budget.

Due to the sheer size of the problem, reducing the deficit through spending cuts alone will have profound and visible impacts that voters need to be aware of. And as we all know, the other route -- to significantly raise taxes -- carries serious implications for families, businesses and homeowners.

Now is the time for voters to get answers from the candidates for governor. Because the decisions are difficult and the impact on Minnesotans will be great, the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities has created MyMNBudget.com, an online tool where everyday Minnesotans, policymakers and the candidates themselves can create a plan to balance the budget.

At MyMNBudget.com, visitors will learn about the programs that get state funding, how much they cost and what they do. With a high degree of detail, the site allows users to reduce program funding and increase taxes in order to erase the state's budget deficit.

CGMC has also sent a letter to the candidates asking them to give a dollar-for-dollar budget solution. We will display the three major party candidates' budget solutions on MyMNBudget.com so that visitors can compare the candidates' budget solutions to each other's and to their own.

The candidates have had plenty of time to travel the state and listen to voters. Now is the time for them to respond to what they heard on the trail by providing specific solutions to the state's budget woes.

If candidates for governor do not have a specific plan or are unwilling to disclose it to the public -- regardless of party or ideology -- they do not deserve support from voters.

With the budget tool available at MyMNBudget.com, candidates have no excuses for their reluctance to tell voters of their specific budget plans. If everyday Minnesotans can go to MyMNBudget.com and create a balanced budget, the candidates for governor should be able to create one and submit it for public discussion as well.

Peterson is a senior policy analyst for the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.