By Senator
Toni Boucher
Governor M. Jodi Rell is calling for a $38.4 billion
two-year state budget that aggressively addresses the
state’s dire fiscal problems and positions the
state for a speedy recovery when the recession ends.
Clearly, she has been paying close attention to what
our beleaguered municipal officials, taxpayers and small
business owners have been saying.
First, the Governor’s budget proposal does not
call for tax increases – and maintains existing
funding levels for towns. This is important because
reducing state aid to municipalities could lead to local
property tax increases. Secondly, Governor Rell is calling
for streamlining government to make it more effective,
efficient and affordable for the taxpayers who support
it.
Governor Rell understands that the challenges posed
by our current fiscal problems present state government
with a rare opportunity to make changes designed to
benefit taxpayers far into the future. The Governor
is offering a budget plan that calls for no spending
increases next year. Her plan also calls for eliminating
and consolidating state agencies and commissions; canceling
a significant amount of pending state bonding; seeking
concessions from state employee unions; eliminating
many existing and vacant state employee positions; and
creating an office to detect and abolish waste, fraud
and abuse throughout state government.
The Governor is looking to the future by calling for
the merger of the state’s vo-tech and community
college systems to create a Middle College System that
would help students bridge the gap between high school
and higher education. She is responding to employment
needs by calling for the creation of a Connecticut Conservation
Corps to provide work to the newly unemployed, and maintain
our public parks, trails and beaches at the same time.
The needs of our cities and towns are prominently
featured in Governor Rell’s budget proposal. For
example, she wants to provide financial incentives to
towns that voluntarily regionalize services and purchases
when doing so is feasible. She is proposing to suspend
binding arbitration for two years, and restrict the
binding arbitration process to cover only wages and
benefits, not other workplace issues.
More importantly, Governor Rell is responding to local
government officials’ desperate pleas for relief
from unfunded state mandates. Her proposed budget includes
a provision requiring a two-thirds vote to impose any
new expensive mandates. Furthermore, she wants to delay
the implementation of two costly mandates – requiring
in-school suspension and treating 16- and 17-year old
violent offenders as juveniles.
No doubt, many aspects of Governor Rell’s budget
proposal are viewed by some as controversial and will
certainly generate a great deal of vigorous debate.
As a member of the General Assembly’s Finance,
Revenue & Bonding Committee, I am looking forward
to the opportunity to work with fellow legislators in
a bipartisan manner to do what is best for our state.
It is clear that Governor Rell is responding to the
public’s call for austerity and accountability.
Like her, I believe that these tough times call for
the courage to make the tough decisions that will keep
our state moving forward.
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