State legislative leaders are not crazy about Governor Dan Malloy’s proposal to slice $19 million to cities and towns, including $1.9 million due Bridgeport, to close a state budget deficit for the fiscal year ending June 30.
CT Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf has more:
Leaders from both parties in the House of Representatives said Thursday they are wary of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to withhold $19 million in outstanding municipal aid to help close a last-minute state budget deficit.
But House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, and Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said they remain committed to negotiations with the administration to mitigate the $390 million hole in the current fiscal year.
“It’s almost June. Where are they [cities and towns] supposed to get that money” if Connecticut withholds it? Klarides asked.
“We can’t promise them one thing and then pull the rug out from underneath them,” Aresimowicz said.
Full story here.
How does it effect Bridgeport in FY2017? It will reduce anticipated revenue from the State, that’s all. But as long as the reduction in revenue is less than $5 Million, and as long as Ken Flatto’s “conservative” projections provided in late April prove reasonably accurate it will mean that Bridgeport stays balanced. But balanced because of the huge tax increase imposed by Mayor “STOP RAISING TAXES” Ganim2 last year.
Creating a PR line for Ganim2: “Lots of room in the 2017FY budget for year end adjustments, taxpayers, aren’t you happy now? What, me worry?”
Time will tell.
““We can’t promise them one thing and then pull the rug out from underneath them,” Aresimowicz said.”
House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, are your serious? For more than four years now, Bridgeport and other towns have not only been “promised” funding for programs and services. They had actually received funding only to have the State take cut or pull the funding. During state election cycles, Representatives and Senators have continued to make promises when they are–or should be– fully aware of the fact that Connecticut has been in dire financial predictions for at least a decade.
*** Just we’re does these so-called State leaders expect the monies to come from? ***