House District 27A Rep. Rich Murray, R-Albert Lea, said he would prefer a long-term fix to the annual budget shortfall, a fix that calls for retooling many state government services.

That said, he is glad a deal has been struck.

“The main thing is I am happy the state is going to be open next week,” he said.

Murray spoke alone with Dayton for about 45 minutes on Wednesday during the governor’s visit to Albert Lea. The representative said he told Dayton the tax increase wasn’t feasible and said other options should be considered.

This budget deal relies on school payment shifts and on tobacco money, which Murray said only means the shortfall problem will return next year.

He said considering the outcome, a deal ought to have been struck by May 23 or at least before the state shutdown.

“It has caused everybody a lot of stress,” Murray said.

He said Minnesota can’t cut or tax its way to solving budget problems and in the coming session the Legislature needs to look at how to spur growth. He said he would be in favor of putting forth a bill next year that provides a replacement for the Job Opportunity Building Zone — nicknamed JOBZ — program that provided local and state tax exemptions for businesses that located or expanded in Greater Minnesota. He said legislators need to look at what worked in other states and seek to avoid an incentive that is unfair to other businesses.

Murray is on the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee.

But it is his spot on the State Government Finance Committee that could bring him to St. Paul today or this weekend. He has been watching his email for a notice of a committee meeting as soon as a schedule is set for a special session.

He said he hopes the state government can be open by Tuesday.

“The budget now, that the Republicans proposed, is basically a cut-and-borrow budget,” Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, said. “I don’t believe borrowing from schools or the tobacco endowment fund was probably the best way to balance this budget. In light of the situation … that’s probably the best deal the governor could get.”

Sparks said the decision to compromise with Republicans was difficult for Dayton because he didn’t necessarily agree with many aspects of the deal.

“It’s important to have the ability to agree to something you don’t agree with,” Sparks said.

Democratic Rep. Jeanne Poppe, who serves on the Higher Education committee, said putting another funding shift on Minnesota schools will hurt local school districts and college students.

“I’ve said, and it continues to be the case, that students in higher education have paid greater amounts of tuition to take care of the state’s budget problems in the past,” Poppe said. “The school districts are going to be the ones who are going to feel this resolution the strongest.”