Everybody gets some of what they want.

Republican lawmakers will get a significant chunk, $85 million, for transportation, while Huntsman will be able to boost the per-pupil public education funding formula by 4.5 percent at a cost of $71 million. Both sides compromised on how much money, $45 million, to pump into the state's savings account, called the Rainy Day Fund.

Huntsman plans to meet with House Speaker Greg Curtis and Senate President John Valentine again on Monday to finalize an agreement, and both chamber leaders will have to gain approval of their respective GOP caucuses.

"We're deciding on the color of the paint; the house is already built," Curtis said Saturday.

Curtis, Valentine, Huntsman and a few of his staffers met Friday night to hammer out the details of how to spend the last bit of the state's revenues.

The Legislature has already appropriated most of the state's nearly $9 billion spending plan in two base-budget bills now awaiting Huntsman's signature. But there is $142 million in available ongoing revenue and $258 million in one-time surplus left to parcel out.

Though the numbers may change in final talks, it appears lawmakers will fund:

* $140 million on construction or renovation projects, including the state Capitol, the University of Utah's Marriott Library, Southern Utah University's teacher education building and 300 new prison beds at the Central Utah Correctional Facility.

* $14 million to boost the salaries for certain state employees who, according to a market comparison, are underpaid. That's on top of the salary raise of 2.5 percent plus benefits for all state workers already approved in a base-budget bill.

* Less than $5 million for a high-technology economic development initiative called the Science, Technology and Research project, or STAR, at the University of Utah and Utah State University.

Legislative leaders and the governor hope a final budget bill can be introduced later this week, maybe Wednesday or Thursday, and it could gain approval as quickly. If that happens, it would be one of the earliest times the budget is finalized compared to recent legislative sessions.

Lawmakers often wait until the last day or two of the session to pass the budget.

"We're literally going line by line at this point," Huntsman's chief of staff, Jason Chaffetz, said. "We're ahead of schedule; we've been working very collaboratively."

That means Huntsman and legislative leaders have had to back off some of their budget priorities to gain approval of others. Huntsman originally wanted to fork out $33 million in one-time surplus funds toward the Centennial Highway Fund, which will pay off debt incurred in building roads. Legislative leaders wanted only 3.5 percent for the per-pupil public education funding formula.

The typical budget battles that loom late in legislative sessions were calmed after revenue estimates for the state were boosted Feb. 14. Lawmakers found themselves holding more cash than previously thought, a point that soothed what could have been fights over the last bit of funds.

Curtis praised Huntsman's willingness to work with lawmakers in person, rather than sending staffers to explain his priorities. "Gov. Huntsman has been great to work with," Curtis said.

Huntsman told The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday that's the kind of person he is.

"I deal with a world of numbers all day long. I am always looking at budget sheets," the governor said. "I like to immerse myself in the detail. I like to live the numbers."

There are still a lot of numbers to deal with, however.

Lawmakers are facing multiple pieces of legislation that require funding, from the Drug Offender Reform Act's $6.2 million to a tourism bill with a price tag of $10 million. Funding for boosting economic revitalization around Hill Air Force Base would cost $10 million and the governor's proposal to change the way the corporate income tax is calculated will cost $7 million.

The price tag of 33 Senate bills with fiscal notes is estimated to be about $60 million, and that's not counting the cost of several House bills. Decisions on which of those bills will get funding is still up in the air.

tburr@sltrib.com

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Tribune reporter Matt Canham contributed to this story.

The details

The final touches of the new state budget are likely to include:* $140 million for construction or renovation

* $85 million for transportation

* $71 million for public education

* $45 million for the state's Rainy Day Fund