It's a good sign that Democrats showed up at today's county budget workshop. There was a hint that they might not. Caucus leaders said they never agreed to a schedule for the workshops.

So now, the County Legislature has its bipartisan budget committee. Its stated goal is to try to find a way to plug the potential $29 million gap that the county would have to close if it loses its FAIR lawsuit appeal.

Today's meeting was devoted to a presentation on the budget. It wasn't a day to discuss solutions. And for a good chunk of the hourlong session, legislators tried to define what constitutes a mandated and nonmandated expense. The answer went answered - just as it has during umpteen Legislature meetings and budget presentations.

"There definitely is some built-in confusion," said Republican Majority Leader Dan Quatro.

It was a start. It remains to be seen how Republicans and Democrats will get along. They acknowledged their philosophical differences several times. It's also up in the air whether they'll make any true progress toward fixing the county's finances. Something numerous committees have failed to achieve.