Berger, Stam: Let's talk

Republican legislative leaders want a public debate, five of them actually, with Democrats on the state budget over the next two weeks.

"Any place, any time," said Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger, of Eden.

Berger and House Republican Leader Paul Stam criticized Democratic budget writers because their intraparty disagreement is not over whether to raise taxes but how to raise them. House and Senate budget conferees, all Democrats, continue to meet this week to work out a plan for raising taxes by around $1 billion next year.

The state's budget expired June 30 but is currently operating under temporary spending legislation that allows agencies to spend at a level of 85 percent of last year's $21.4 billion budget. Republican leaders are content with that spending level and don't mind if two weeks of debate stretches the temporary spending authority further into the fiscal year.