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Minnesota state budget (2010-2011)

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Note: This article was last updated in 2011. Click here for more recent information on state budgets and finances.


Find the state’s FY2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) compiled by the state government online.[1]

As of May 10, 2010, the state of Minnesota faced an estimated $1.2 billion budget deficit for the FY 2010 budget[2] and a nearly $3 billion budget shortfall overall.[3]

Going into the fiscal year, Minnesota had a total state debt of $21,206,734,818 when calculated by adding the total of outstanding debt, pension and OPEB UAAL’s, unemployment trust funds and the 2010 budget gap as of July 2010.[4]

Fiscal Year 2011 State Budget

2011 State spending & deficit in billions[5]
Total spending Pension Healthcare Education Welfare Protection Transport Debt Budget gap
$20 $3.5 $10.6 $0.5 $3.4 $1.4 $1.7 $9.4 $3.1
2011 Local spending & deficit in billions[5]
Total spending Pension Healthcare Education Welfare Protection Transport Debt
$24.0 $0.4 $2.1 $9.9 $2.3 $2.7 $3.1 $31.6


Budget background

Minnesota's “unallotment” law[6] specifies conditions under which the executive branch can reduce expenditures to prevent an anticipated budget deficit. The key part of the law provides:[7]

  • (a) If the commissioner (of finance) determines that probable receipts for the general fund would be less than anticipated, and that the amount available for the remainder of the biennium would be less than needed, the commissioner shall, with the approval of the governor, and after consulting the legislative advisory commission, reduce the amount in the budget reserve account as needed to balance expenditures with revenue.
  • (b) An additional deficit shall, with the approval of the governor, and after consulting the legislative advisory commission, be made up by reducing unexpended allotments of any prior appropriation or transfer. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the commissioner was empowered to defer or suspend prior statutorily created obligations which would prevent effecting such reductions.

Budget figures

The following table provides a history of Minnesota's expenditures and gross domestic product (GDP).

Fiscal Year Expenditures (billions) GDP (billions)
2000 $35.4[8] $185.1[8]
2001 $38.0[8] $190.2[8]
2002 $40.5[8] $198.6[8]
2003 $41.3[8] $208.2[8]
2004 $42.1[8] $223.5[8]
2005 $42.9[8] $232.0[8]
2006 $44.8[8] $242.1[8]
2007 $46.7[8] $255.0[8]
2008 $48.7[8] $268.5[8]
2009 $50.8*[8] $282.8*[8]
  • NOTE: The figures for FY 2009 won't be finalized until the end of the fiscal year.

Accounting principles

See also: Minnesota government accounting principles

Minnesota auditing authority was divided between the State Auditor and the Legislative Auditor. The Office of the State Auditor was a constitutional office that was charged with overseeing more than $20 billion spent annually by local governments in Minnesota, publishing their audit reports online. The Office of the Legislative Auditor audits state agencies and constitutional offices, and also publishes their audit reports online.[9][10][11]

Rebecca Otto was elected Minnesota State Auditor in 2006.[12] Jim Nobles had been the Minnesota Legislative Auditor since 1983, an appointed position under the Legislative Audit Commission. In addition to the office's primary focus on state agencies and programs, they also audit three metropolitan agencies and selectively review programs that were administered locally.[13][14]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ FY 2011 CAFR
  2. ↑ Star Tribune, "Legislature returns, staring into the teeth of $1.2B deficit," February 4, 2010
  3. ↑ KSFY.com "Pawlenty Threatens State Government Shutdown" May 8, 2010 (dead link)
  4. ↑ State Budget Solutions “States Hide Trillions in Debt” July 22, 2010
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 USA Spending, State Guesstimated* Government Spending
  6. ↑ Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "Minn. Stat. § 16A.152, subd. 4.," accessed October 27, 2009
  7. ↑ Minnesota House of Representatives Research Department, "Unallotment: Executive Branch Power to Reduce Spending to Avoid a Deficit," March 2008
  8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 US Government Spending, "Minnesota State and Local spending," accessed March 17,2009
  9. ↑ Minnesota Office of the State Auditor Web site, accessed October 27, 2009
  10. ↑ audit reports
  11. ↑ audit reports
  12. ↑ Minnesota Office of the State Auditor Web site, accessed October 27, 2009
  13. ↑ Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor Web site, accessed October 27, 2009
  14. ↑ Legislative Audit Commission
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