Three votes stand between Nevadans and approval of a tax package designed to balance the state budget. Both houses of the Legislature approved the bills that will balance the budget on Friday, starting a five-day clock.
We fully expect Gov. Jim Gibbons will wait for the clock to tick down to the last minute on Thursday before vetoing it.
That will give those who agree with Gibbons' stance not to raise taxes under any circumstances time to lobby those in the minority who voted for the bill.
Ironically, it is Gibbons who was one of the driving forces behind requiring two-thirds of the Legislature to approve any measure for taxes. That means any deal lawmakers work out has to have a veto-proof margin to win.
As it is, the governor can only set the stage for whatever drama transpires in the Legislature this week. Lawmakers may succeed in overriding Gibbons' veto, or the bipartisan coalition they've set up could collapse.
If the Legislature can't muster the votes to override Gibbons, the session will end on June 1 without a balanced budget.
Since the governor gets to set the agenda when he calls a special session, we're betting tax increases won't be on the list.
