Minnesota Lawyer
Lee Helgen
The St. Paul City Council has voted unanimously to file a legal brief in support of a lawsuit challenging Gov. Tim Pawlenty‘s authority to make unilateral budget cuts. St. Paul lost roughly $5 million in state government aid last year owing to cuts implemented by Pawlenty and expects to see its funding reduced by more than $11 million in 2010.
“I think the governor really abused his authority under the unallotment statute and went too far,” says St. Paul City Council member Lee Helgen, who drafted the resolution.
Last month a judge ruled that Pawlenty overstepped his budgetary authority when he eliminated funding for a $5.3 million nutrition program. The budget cut was part of $2.7 billion in reductions that the governor implemented utilizing his unallotment authority. The Pawlenty administration has appealed the judge’s ruling and the Minnesota Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case on March 15.
The St. Paul vote was 5-0 in favor of filing a friend-of-the-court brief. Two council members were absent for the vote.
