Municipal budgets are often at the mercy of state spending. Governor Dan Malloy’s budget proposal will certainly engage education advocates upset about flat funding of traditional education while increasing support to charter schools that operate independently from traditional school districts. Malloy’s budget is now in the hands of the state legislature.
This is an an election year for Mayor Bill Finch and he’ll want all the state resources possible to hold the line on taxes. Finch issued this statement in response to the governor’s proposal:
“We thank Governor Malloy for continuing to help us make smart investments in Bridgeport’s future. In his budget, he maintains funding for the Park City and further invests in our city’s rail capabilities, which helps make our city increasingly business friendly. He also cuts the sales tax, which benefits hardworking Bridgeport families. And, he’s modernizing Connecticut’s laws to help our small businesses compete with neighboring states. His guidance and leadership have been a major reason why Bridgeport is getting better every day.
From Malloy:
Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced an ambitious agenda to transform Connecticut’s infrastructure, overhaul the sales tax to bring it to the lowest level since 1971, support our municipalities and classrooms, and further a Second Chance Society that would help those who have erred be productive members of the economy.
HIGHLIGHTS OF GOVERNOR MALLOY’S FISCAL YEAR 2016/2017 BIENNIAL BUDGET PROPOSAL:
• SMART SPENDING: Spending remains under the spending cap, with a total increase of just 3.1 percent from the prior fiscal year–far below the previous administration, when spending grew an average of 4.2 percent.
• SUPPORT FOR CLASSROOMS: Our public schools are protected in this budget
• PROTECTING MUNICIPAL AID: Preventing local property taxes from increasing, the budget protects municipal aid, ensuring that no local teacher, police officer, or firefighter loses their jobs because of the state
• RELIEF FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS: The budget overhauls Connecticut’s sales tax with reforms that move the rate to under 6 percent for the first time since 1971 and making it the lowest of any neighboring state
• ELIMINATING TAXES ON BUSINESSES: The budget eliminates the $250 biannual business entity tax for all corporationsTRANSFORMING TRANSPORTATION – LET’S GO CT
Governor Malloy’s capital budget proposes a historic, bold transformational plan for our state’s transportation system that would make it best-in-class, attract businesses, and grow jobs. Currently, every resident spends approximately 42 hours per year–or one full work week–in traffic, costing residents more than $4 billion in wasted time and resources annually. The Governor’s budget supports a plan with a 30 year vision, and an immediate five-year ramp up plan. Some highlights of Let’s Go CT are:
Highways, Bridges, and Roads
• Replacing the I-84 Viaduct in Hartford, which costs millions of dollars annually just for maintenance
• Building new ramps to the Charter Oak Bridge in Hartford to eliminate accidents and traffic delays
• Upgrading Route 9 in Middletown to eliminate accidents and reduce unnecessary congestion
• Replacing the aging interchange of Route 8 and I-84 in Waterbury, known as the “Mixmaster”
• Widening the five-mile, two-lane stretch of I-84 in Danbury between Exits 3 and 8 to alleviate congestion
• Widening I-95 between Bridgeport and Greenwich
• Completing the Merritt Parkway interchange on Route 7 in Norwalk
• Widening I-95 from Old Saybrook to New London, including the interchange with I-395, to mitigate congestion and improve safety
• Completing Route 11
• Upgrading the Gold Star Bridge on I-95 between Groton and New London
• Boosting funding to cities and towns by doubling the Local Transportation Improvement Program, increasing local bridge funding, and creating a new state-funded traffic signalization program.Rail and Buses
• Significantly expanding the capacity and improving the infrastructure of the New Haven Line to allow for subway-life frequency as well as fast and reliable intercity service
• Building train stations up and down the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Line (the “Hartford Line”), bringing commuter rail service to Enfield, West Hartford, Newington, North Haven and Hamden
• Double-tracking the entire Hartford Line from New Haven to Springfield, allowing for more efficient and increased service
• Constructing new stations along the New Haven Line, including the new Barnum Station in Bridgeport, reconstruction of the Merritt 7 station in Norwalk on the Danbury Branch, and a new station in Orange
• Completing a new parking garage at Union station in New Haven to expand ridership and further encourage transit-oriented development in the area
• Replacing the Walk Bridge in Norwalk, as well as rehabilitating or replacing the Devon, SAGA and Cos Cob moveable bridges on the New Haven Line
• Making improvements to the Waterbury Branch, including a new signal system, sidings and equipment to allow for increased capacity and more frequent service
• Expanding local and express bus service as well as paratransit across the state to reach unserved urban areas and marketsWalkways and Bikeways
• Creating a new program to help cities and towns install bike and pedestrian safety improvements in urban areas and town centers
• Repairing existing trails that have fallen into disrepair
• Completing new bike and pedestrian trails across the state
Malloy is a bought-up and sold-out politician. This is his budget on education:
Not only will traditional schools not receive an extra $1 over the next two years, Bridgeport will receive less over the next two years than last year because he is reducing the appropriation by millions for the Commissioner’s Network and the Alliance Districts which Bridgeport is part of.
All while Malloy has appropriated an additional $22 million for both new charter schools and the expansion of existing charter schools over the next two years. Twenty schools get $22 million while over a thousand traditional public schools get nothing.
This is why we need Ed Gomes. He would never support this while Kenneth Moales and DeJesus will.
blog.ctnews.com/education/2015/02/18/malloys-budget-flat-funds-traditional-education/
I have read the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2014 that includes separate documents on State and Federal reviews by our auditor. These latter reports are not shown on the Finance Department website though copies can be obtained at the City Clerk’s office.
A brief look at funding from the State of CT for fiscal year 2014 indicates total Financial Assistance to the City of Bridgeport was $297,334,831, which is an amount greater than provided by local property taxes to gain some perspective.
Of that total, non-exempt grants to education in Bridgeport amounted to $44,082, 566 while an additional amount of funding for exempt programs, mainly Educational Cost Sharing for public schools was worth an additional $169 Million. Charter schools receive ECS funds of $18,585,999 and another $420,824 of State funds went for nonpublic school transportation. All in all a lot of money in the previous year. At the moment perhaps someone else has the current year allocations? Time will tell.
Dan Malloy’s relationship with the Liquor Lobby is another symptom of everything that’s wrong with Connecticut politics. He’s proposing expanded hours of sale as a “consumer convenience” that will generate “millions of dollars” in revenue for the state. (Senator Bill Finch led the charge for expanded hours when he was in the Senate.)
Of course, 12 hours a day, seven days a week (oh, only 8.5 hours on Sunday) doesn’t give the consumer enough time to stock up on liquor–especially when the consumer is driving around at 11:00 PM on a Saturday night and needs to suck down another six-pack of beer before they meet up with friends for an hour or so before closing time at their favorite bar.
CASA–the Center for Alcohol and Substance Abuse at Columbia University–released the results of a study in 1998 concerning the economic effects on states of alcohol and drug abuse. The findings of that study were states were spending up to 13% of their budgets addressing the effects of substance abuse, with alcohol abuse accounting for most of that (about 10% of state budgets).
Governor Malloy should fight to raise the state taxes on alcohol to a level that would account for what alcohol abuse costs the state. That would bring in about 4$ billion over 2 years–at 10% of the state budget. That would close the budget hole for the state. (Right now, taxes on alcohol bring in less than 0.1% of the budget, or about 1/100th of the cost of alcohol abuse.)
As far as losing business to other states; we should sue the other states/liquor outlets for problems related to border-crossing sales that result in costs to Connecticut, with respect to policing, accident response, etc.
Between the added taxes/costs helping to discourage excess alcohol consumption and the savings thereof, in the context of the added revenue, the above suggestion could surely go a long way in closing the budget gap and improving public safety in Connecticut.
But with the Governor and his supporters in the back pocket of the Liquor Lobby/Distillers Association, it is doubtful we will get ourselves on the right and sensible side of this issue. I’m sure the governor will argue selling more alcohol is the way to go–and I’m sure his mayoral and legislative sycophants/Liquor Lobby pets around the state will cheer him on in this regard.
As General Lee would say; time will tell …
Speaking of Malloy’s new education budget, I just got home and discovered Moales’ first mailing piece in my neighborhood. It makes me wonder if he is running for the senate or is it his beloved deceased father who is running?
The front features a photo of Kenneth Moales standing in front of the street sign in honor of his father. When you open it up the following quote is featured in large bold print. “I will live up to my father’s legacy by helping our district.”
The smaller print highlights who his mother and father are. It is filled with old photos of his immediate family, Kenneth Moales as a baby to present and his parents. He was actually a really cute baby.
It goes on to say “he understands what it’s like to not know when the next paycheck is coming, and as a young teenage father, he turned to WIC and welfare to put food on the table and pay the heat.” It should read “… pay for the heat.”
“Through hard work and education, today he has become a dedicated husband and father of four. He still lives in our poorest neighborhood and has dedicated himself to God, our community, and to lifting the next generation out of poverty.”
Mr. Moales, you live in the East End because the church provides you with a free residence that pays $0 in municipal taxes. You state you had at one time received WIC and welfare, yet you publicly told me three times to “get a job” at a Regular BBOE meeting. I believe in public assistance and helping the less fortunate, however you had the nerve to attempt to disparage me although you at one time received public assistance and I have never received it. What absolute nerve you have.
CT Post: Moales’ church owes $8 million in moolah
Daniel Tepfer July 17, 2013
“My dad left me a millionaire, I’m fine, we’re fine, we don’t have any financial problems,” Moales said …
The Rev. Kenneth Moales Jr.’s church, Prayer Tabernacle Church of Love in Bridgeport, owes the following debts:
Foundation Capital Resources $7.3 million
The Contracting Group $136,716
Tri-Con Construction $329,693.61
ADT Security Service $56,041.24
The Community Bank $225,000
The Right Mortgage Co. $35,000
Kaufman Fuel Co. $7,200
Water Pollution Control Authority $4,155.87
www .ctpost.com/local/article/Moales-church-owes-8-million-in-moolah-4669045.php
Please remember he was Finch’s campaign treasurer or manager or some such thing. Bpt’s finest Democrats.
If Malloy is cutting taxes, how does he expect to fund these initiatives, let alone the others in his budget:
• Widening I-95 between Bridgeport and Greenwich
• Completing the Merritt Parkway interchange on Route 7 in Norwalk
Federal money? Seriously?
Cutting the sales tax by some pittance of a percentage … why bother? That’s absurd.