Lawmakers conciliatory before Council of Small Towns
SOUTHINGTON — Buoyed by an anticipated flood of federal dollars and a state budget more than a $2 billion in surplus, Republican and Democratic leaders of the General Assembly on Tuesday morning painted an optimistic picture for first selectmen and town managers that was reinforced later in the afternoon by Gov. Ned Lamont.
On the day before the short, 12-week budget-adjustment session of the legislature, leaders including Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly and House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora were collegial, and even agreed on some major issues at the start of a reelection year, such as the need for more education funding, particularly special education.
Lamont, in an 18-minute star turn after lunch, offered a greatest-hits summary of his first three years in office that has often been overshadowed by the COVID pandemic, but in recent months has seen robust sales and income taxes, as well as billions in federal support.
“We’re in pretty decent financial shape,” Lamont said, adding that the $3billion emergency reserves could help immensely if the economy turns for the worse. “We have enough to weather that recession when it comes.” As the COVID pandemic subsides into a less-serious, endemic virus, the governor warned “We’re going to have to learn to live with this.”
Lamont will present his budget to a joint session of the House and Senate at noon on Wednesday. Last week he proposed $336 million in tax cuts for the budget year that starts July 1. It includes the restoration of a $300 property tax credit for half a million people.
During the mostly inperson annual day-long meeting of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, the high-ranking state legislators grappled with the future of education funding, solid waste disposal and infrastructure projects, including a nearly 40-percent increase in federal aid for competitive transportation programs.
The planned closure of a garbage-to-energy plant in Hartford this summer represents a major threat to many upstate towns that might have to get their trash carted away to Midwestern landfills at high costs, unless the General Assembly and Lamont can increase opportunities for recycling and disposal in the state.
“It’s a really old plant,” Lamont said of the pollution-belching Material Innovation and Recycling Authority facility near the Connecticut River that would need as much as $400 million in repairs to keep it online. “I don’t think that’s the future of the state.”
Possibly the biggest news for town leaders was provided by Ritter, D-Hartford, who reminded the local officials that they can change around their budget years to coincide with the state, so those communities with early spring budget deadlines can align themselves better with the state’s July 1-to-June 30 budget year, even if their local charters appear restrictive.
Ritter said there’s room in the $21-billion budget to raise spending by $300 million. “We too often say we’re increasing this tax, we’re decreasing that, but we don’t sit back and reevaluate,” Ritter said. “We have to look at our revenue streams and where we are. Senate Republicans talk about doing tax decreases for a year or two. I’m okay with that. I don’t know what happens two or three years down the road.”
Looney, D-New Haven, spoke virtually, while Ritter, Candelora, R-North Branford and Kelly, R-Stratford, shared a raised table before the dozens of circular tables of COST members, with vendor tables along three walls.
It’s too early in the budget season to argue specific legislation, but Republicans and Democrats want various levels of tax relief. Kelly recently proposed reducing the sales tax, while House Republicans will offer adjustments in coming weeks including tax cuts. Democrats want to extend the Earned Income Tax Credit, as well as the popular child tax credit that dried up in December.
Kelly said the goal is to make the state more-affordable, which is why his caucus proposed a cut in the sales tax on all state purchases. Democrats, however, have a 23-13 majority in the Senate, as well as a 97-53 edge in the House, pending a special election for a recently vacated Republican seat in Waterbury.
Candelora said that his goal, like Democrats, is broad-based tax relief for a wide range of residents. “I would agree that we sort of, philosophically are coming from the same position,” Candelora said. “The House Republicans sort of feel that way as well. We want to look at the property tax credit again, trying to restore that because because property taxes have certainly been the most complained about by our residents.”
During another segment of the six-hour program, Garrett Eucalitto, deputy commissioner in the state Department of Transportation, told the 200 people gathered in the huge ballroom at the Aqua Turf Club that the agency will soon announce a special funding program for rural roads and bridges.
Laura Francis, first selectwoman for the town of Durham, was elected COST president during the event. Francis warned that COVID still presents many challenges, but towns must work together.
The organization’s 2022 goals include preserving aid; supporting investments in infrastructure; expanding recycling and improving materials management; improving school heating, venting and air conditioning systems; tackling public safety issues from juvenile crime to mental health and drug addiction; and expanding broadband internet access.