AUGUSTA – Budget bargainers emerged from behind closed doors and popped into public view Saturday to take a new round of soundings on social service program cuts proposed by Gov. John Baldacci.

Decisions came haltingly in piecemeal fashion with an understanding that “things can be reconsidered,” said Sen. Mary Cathcart, the Orono Democrat who is the Senate chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.

Cathcart suggested that, with unpleasant choices involving reductions in programs offered by the state departments of mental health and human services, voting to accept or revise parts of the Baldacci plan to offset a $128 million Medicaid shortfall for fiscal 2005 could come slowly.

“We just keep sharpening our pencils and working on our spreadsheets,” Cathcart said after panelists conferred privately for about five hours during the morning and early afternoon.

Finally convening for open work session at about 2:20 p.m., the panel traded ideas and quizzed departmental officials for three hours before recessing until Monday.

Republican panelists indicated that they welcomed movement by members of the committee’s Democratic majority, however tentative.

The ranking House Republican panelist, Rep. Richard Rosen of Bucksport, used language similar to Cathcart’s, however, in saying that initial decisions might be looked at again if bottom-line budget-balancing required it.

Baldacci came to the State House for part of the day Saturday, meeting with some lawmakers and speaking with aides about the pace and content of the talks. He said he saw and heard a mutual willingness on both sides to continue discussions.

Beyond bridging a new Medicaid gap, the governor has also proposed repaying $10 million to a retiree health insurance fund and spending about $22 million on a variety of departments and programs, including a $9 million hike in general purpose aid for education.

To help offset the looming Medicaid shortfall, Baldacci originally put forth a set of service cutbacks that the administration described as a benefit redesign package.

In recent days, administration officials offered substantial restorations, but left open the question of where compensating savings might be achieved.

Top Baldacci health policy adviser Trish Riley said virtually all of more than a dozen outright eliminations of services that had been proposed at first were now being supplanted by a more modest set of proposed curbs.

Asked about alternative savings, she told the committee: “This is very much a work in progress so we’d like to work with you.”

Lawmakers were invited to line up behind some modified savings steps Saturday, but Democratic Rep. Hannah Pingree of North Haven cautioned she was “not really quite sure if we can handle all of it yet.”

Panelists are expected today to return to the issue of redesigning a basic Medicaid health coverage package.