Partial state government shutdown could begin Friday, Granholm warns

9/26/2007

LANSING, Mich. Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she may have to start a partial state government shutdown by Friday.

If no deal is reached by Thursday solving the state s budget deficit, she said the state will have to start taking steps that would affect Detroit casinos, liquor sales, state parks, state welcome centers and a variety of services such as processing motor vehicle titles.

State programs that protect citizens health and safety, such as state police patrols, will continue, she said.

In the event the Legislature forces us into a partial government shutdown, it is our intention to continue the most vital services until a budget resolution is reached, Granholm said in a statement today.

It was the governor s first public statement on what services may be shut down and which will be kept open if a shutdown occurs. She said that, if no agreement is reached by Thursday, a shutdown will have to be initiated on Friday.

She previously had refused to say what would happen in the event of a shutdown because she said she wanted a budget deal so it wouldn t happen.

The Democratic governor, Democrat-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate have failed to agree on how to erase a projected $1.75 billion deficit in the state budget for the fiscal year that starts Monday.

A bipartisan House-Senate conference committee convened briefly this morning to consider an income tax increase, but took a break immediately.

Read more in later editions of The Blade and toledoblade.com