State leaders prepare for afternoon budget meeting

? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and legislative leaders are preparing to head off a cash crunch in Kansas government.

That crunch — and an impasse over the budget — was holding up income tax refunds and had threatened to delay state employees’ next paychecks.

Sebelius has called a meeting of the State Finance Council for 2 p.m. She needs the council’s approval for her plan to move $225 million into the state’s main bank account from other accounts throughout state government.

The council consists of the Democratic governor and eight top legislative leaders, six of whom are Republicans.

GOP leaders had objected to Sebelius’ request until she signed legislation to eliminate a deficit in the budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30. She did that Tuesday.