According to the Detroit Free Press, the governor and legislative leaders agreed over the weekend to make finishing the 2020 budget their first priority, even if it means a road funding deal is not reached before Oct. 1.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer had said repeatedly she would not sign a budget that did not include a realistic plan that includes close to $2 billion in extra spending for roads, but Monday's announcement points to a significant change in that position.

The state faces a partial budget shutdown if a budget for the coming year is not signed into law by Oct. 1.

On Friday, Republican legislative leaders said they planned to start finalizing the budget without a plan to raise significant new money for roads.

They had rejected Whitmer's plan to increase gas taxes by 45 cents a gallon and Whitmer said they had not offered a realistic counter proposal that did not put teacher pension funds at risk as a way of increasing transportation revenues.

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