Kristin Dybdal

Feb 4, 2011

Margaret Kelly named state budget director

Public finance veteran Margaret Kelly will become the Minnesota Management and Budget Department's (MMB) new budget director. She replaces Kristin Dybdal, a seven-year veteran of the agency, who is going to do independent health-care consulting.

Dec 17, 2010

Old battle lines resurface over federal Medicaid expansion

With Mark Dayton's timely ascent to the governor's office now assured, the most visible and protracted legislative drama of 2010 has erupted again in the past week. Dayton said throughout the campaign that one of his first acts as governor would be to sign an executive order enrolling Minnesota in an expanded federal Medicaid program.

Dec 3, 2010

Budget forecast: The red sea

Minnesota is facing a fiscal mess. That much has been evident for a long time. Last November's budget forecast showed the state facing a $5.4 billion shortfall in the next two-year cycle. Three months later, that number had swelled to $5.8 billion. Put another way, that's roughly 20 percent of the state's total general fund budget in the current biennium.

Jul 12, 2010

Cash flow: State could have to start borrowing as early as this fall

Though Minnesota has managed so far to avoid borrowing to meet the state's day-to-day payment obligations, its good luck (and capacity for fiscal manipulation) is likely to run out before the end of FY2011 on June 30 of next year, and possibly as early as this fall.