The political tango over the shape of the state’s budget for the next few years has begun.

Legislative leaders met with Gov. Jan Brewer Tuesday, but the two sides couldn’t yet agree on how to proceed with crafting the state’s spending plan.

While they’re uncomfortable with Gov. Jan Brewer’s higher revenue forecast in two years, Republican lawmakers aren’t rejecting her spending plan outright.

In fact, many are agreeable to some of the expenditures Brewer is seeking.

Gov. Jan Brewer is treading carefully and offering a multiyear budget that plans that includes hundreds of millions in one-time expenditures, but gives the state a financial cushion for the coming fiscal cliff in 2014.

The Governor’s Office today unveiled budget plan for fiscal year 2013 and the remainder of 2012 that is projected to leave the state in the black by about $329 million when the Proposition 100 sales tax increase expires and federal health care mandates are expected to take a major toll on the state budget in fiscal year 2014.

Gov. Jan Brewer today laid out her spending plan, but before she can hammer out a deal with lawmakers, the two sides will have to reconcile their revenue projections for the next few years.

Right now, their only clear agreement is that, barring another economic downturn and events beyond the state’s control, revenues will climb steadily, albeit slowly.

State revenues grew modestly in November even as signs of economic strains persist.

Well, that didn’t take long. The state hadn’t even closed its books on the outgoing fiscal year, and already there were some in the Legislature clamoring for us to spend money we don’t have.

Legislative budget analysts say preliminary revenue reports for May show the state could wipe out the bulk of its red ink in the current fiscal year.

Arizona's recovery is holding steady. JLBC reported that, for the ninth consecutive month, April posted year-over-year growth in revenue collections.

Pointing out that Arizona faces a revenue cliff when a temporary sales tax increase expires in two years, Senate President Russell Pearce said any extra money the state collects won’t be used to restore cuts or be spent on new programs.

Legislative budget analysts see good news in a preliminary figures from Arizona's April tax collections.