Towns’ message to Hartford: Pass a budget
Municipal leaders want relief from mandates and no tax impact; House will not try to override veto
Wallingford — A bipartisan group of about 60 mayors, first selectmen and other municipal leaders gathered Tuesday morning to advocate for the urgent passage of a budget and to lay out three principles for any budget passed.
They argued a budget must reform and provide relief from unfunded state mandates, provide a path for urban growth and development, and not impose an impact on the local property tax burden.
Referring to the General Assembly, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Executive Director Joe DeLong said, “We’re not just throwing it back to you. We’re all here; we’re ready to help.”
City and town officials shared their principles and concerns at a news conference CCM held at the Hilton Garden Inn Wallingford-Meriden on Tuesday morning.
They spoke on the assumption that the state House would not override Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget veto in its session on Tuesday afternoon, though Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary commented, “I don’t know why we assume anything, after a couple weeks ago.”
The House adjourned on Tuesday without taking a vote on a veto override.
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On Sept. 16, the Democratic-controlled House passed a GOP budget — which the state Senate passed 21-15 the day before — by a 77-73 vote. On Sept. 28, as promised, Gov. Malloy vetoed the budget.
As stated in a letter to Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, his rationale was that the budget risks potential litigation, underfunds pension obligations and cuts too much money from higher education.
Tuesday marked day 95 that Connecticut hasn’t had a budget, and it is the only state in the country that has yet to pass a spending plan. Connecticut is facing a $3.5 billion deficit over the next two years.
At the news conference Tuesday, O’Leary spoke in favor of budget reforms on binding arbitration and unfunded mandates.
“To go through all this and not have long- and short-term reforms is absolutely ridiculous,” said O’Leary, who is vice president of CCM. “And quite frankly, I think had those reforms been included in the Democratic budget, we might not be having this conversation.”
CCM Executive Director Joe DeLong attributed the stalled budget to changing dynamics in a General Assembly that is “trying to find its way through.”
He stressed the importance of a budget that works for all cities and towns, saying he has seen the General Assembly far too often pit communities again each other.
DeLong renounced the mindset of “Fairfield County has a lot of money; let’s just tax the people in Fairfield County,” saying that when wealthy people leave the state, it affects everybody. He also noted that when communities like Hartford, Scotland or Deep River are struggling, it affects the whole state.
Speaking to The Day after the brief news conference, Waterford First Selectman Dan Steward offered a local example: If Waterford loses Dominion Energy, the state loses half its energy.
Steward agreed with CCM’s principle of needing relief from unfunded mandates, citing the impact of state requirements that municipalities clean all drain basins each year and use organic fertilizer.
“If they’re going to mandate it and require us to do something, then they need to give us something back to do that,” Steward said.
Speaking to O’Leary’s point on the need for arbitration reform, East Lyme First Selectman Mark Nickerson voiced the opinion that towns should use neutral arbitrators on a rotating basis.
He added that legislators “should’ve done their work in March and April like they were supposed to.” Nickerson questioned how towns could meet cuts at this point, saying, “We can’t lay off our teachers halfway through the year.”