GOP criticizes Democratic council’s budget

City Republicans push back on mayor’s contention that drastic cuts proposed resulted from vetoed state plan their party crafted

New London — City Republicans are pushing back against the City Council’s contention that the drastic cuts being implemented are the result of a vetoed Republican-crafted state budget.

Republican City Council candidates gathered outside the New London County Courthouse Wednesday to criticize the all-Democratic City Council for implementing painful last-minute general government budget cuts that are likely to lead to multiple layoffs and a $4.2 million reduction to the school budget that has school officials up in arms.

The council made cuts Monday in anticipation of a final vote on a municipal spending plan as early as next Monday.

“The City Council wants to make a $4.2 million cut to the school budget and they’re blaming a vetoed GOP budget for these cuts? To me that just makes no common sense. It’s not a responsible way to move forward,” said Republican City Council candidate Tim Ryan.

State Sen. Paul Formica, who joined the Republican candidates on Tuesday, said the only budget that passed in the General Assembly, which was later vetoed by the governor, actually increases aid to New London by about $1.9 million.

“I think New London makes out better under this budget,” Formica said. “I’m pushing to make New London come out better … and come out better under any budget because I believe as New London grows so grows southeastern Connecticut.”

The city is operating under last year’s budget because the council repealed its $90.05 million combined budget last month in part as a response to a citizens budget petition but also to allow time for the state to pass a budget.

Lawmakers have yet to pass a budget and the city must pass a spending plan before it spends 25 percent of its budget and face the advent of a budget that automatically reverts to last year’s spending plan. The result would be a loss of millions of dollars.

Democratic Mayor Michael Passero defended the cuts and said the city based its projections on the only state budget that received bipartisan support by the General Assembly. The Republican-crafted state budget

shows a $5 million drop in Educational Cost Sharing funding for New London, school funds that pass through the city government budget. That is the basis, he said, for the cuts made to the educational side of the budget.

The drop in ECS funding is coupled with the inclusion of $8.1 million toward a new special education grant.

School District Finance Director Rob Funk said that the proposed special education funding, under the vetoed budget, would offset ECS losses but the governor’s latest proposal shows ECS funding would be increased and special education funding eliminated.

The increase in ECS under the governor’s latest plan, Funk said, would not make up for the loss in special education funds and result in an estimated $2 million loss in revenues. About one-third of the school budget, more than $20 million, comes from ECS funding.

Councilor Don Venditto said any state funding above and beyond the amount of money cut from the budget would be immediately restored to the district. The council must make the cuts now, he said, because it does not have the authority to cut the school budget after a budget ordinance is passed.

Venditto said the council is backed into a corner since any state revenue losses that were not accounted for when a budget is approved would have to be passed on to taxpayers who are already reeling from a more than 9 percent increase. The latest budget would drop that increase to less than 8 percent.

“This isn’t a scare tactic but an attempt to be fiscally correct in our budget. We have to go with what would be a worst-case scenario,” Venditto said. “To me we would be foolish to pass a budget that assumes $7 million in something called special education funds.”

The most recent budget cuts made by the council would cut three public works positions, a senior accountant in the finance office and the assistant city clerk. The city, which does not have an information technology director, is also looking to share services with the school district.

It would be up to the school board to determine where its cuts would come.

Republican City Council candidate Kat Goulart said the city has suffered under the one-party rule and continues to raise taxes instead of making cuts to spending,

“As a result, good people are losing their jobs,” Goulart said.

“The City Council wants to make a $4.2 million cut to the school budget and they’re blaming a vetoed GOP budget for these cuts? To me that just makes no common sense. It’s not a responsible way to move forward.” REPUBLICAN CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE TIM RYAN