Last week I joined Governor Jodi Rell in defeating a $3.2 billion state bonding package that would put our state even deeper into debt.  Much like the federal government, Connecticut is piling up a ton of debt that we will be paying for the next 30 years.  I join the Governor in her call to end the “earmarks” that are driving up debt, and to pass a reasonable bond package that sets priorities rather than spending pork barrel dollars for powerful legislators.

Connecticut government is just like your family—you cannot keep putting things on your credit card indefinitely.  You eventually have to pay up.  Connecticut’s debt level has reached unsustainable levels, and the interest is eating up more and more of your tax dollars.

In 1985, Connecticut’s taxpayers owed $2 billion in debt.  Today, we owe $14 billion.  That is an incredible 10% increase per year for the last twenty-two years.  We are totally out of control.  Why does this matter?  Because the interest charges are hurting our taxpayers.  Out of every dollar you pay in income taxes and sales taxes, 11 cents goes to pay principal and interest on our debt—and that level is increasing every year. 

Now, the Democratic majority in Hartford wants to add more debt—specifically, $3.2 billion more in debt over the biennium and $1.1 billion over 10-years for the Connecticut State University system.  Their proposal would cost every family of four $350 a year every year in interest payments for the next thirty years.  While there were many aspects of the proposal I could support, the total level was just too much—thus I voted no and the Governor has vowed to veto it.

I am hopeful that we can pass a smaller, more reasonable bonding package.  Two items in particular should be removed from the bonding package to make it better for the people of Connecticut.  First is a $1 billion proposal for the Connecticut State University system.  This massive proposal for new facilities at colleges like Eastern Connecticut State University was added at the last minute after the legislature’s Finance Committee had previously removed it.  We are still investing in a ten-year, multi-billion program to improve UConn, and I believe that we should take more of a “go slow” approach to investing in our other public colleges.  I support the Governor’s plan to invest nearly $100 million over the biennium for the CSU system, then review our financial situation to determine the next step of the investment.

Second are over $200 million in pork barrel spending called “earmarks”.  Powerful legislators have slipped in dollars for their pet projects everywhere—dollars for new gazebos, town website development, and subsidies to private companies.  I believe we should eliminate all these earmarks—Republican and Democrat.  Instead, we should have any discretionary money put in a competitive pool where towns and non-profits can apply to get funding.  Pork barrel politics is not the best way to allocate our scarce bonding dollars, and we should start treating government like a business—review proposals on the merits rather than which legislators are backing them.

If you take these two large items out, you are down to a more reasonable bonding package that contains many items with broad bipartisan support.  For example, the bill included $1.3 billion for new public schools, $110 million each this year and next for Clean Water grants, and $15 million each year for open space programs.  I believe that these are good programs that should receive bonding funding, and should be part of a smaller package.

I am also working to ensure that Shelton and Stratford receives our fair share of this bonding money.  Grants approved for projects in Stratford included $60,000 for alterations and improvements at the technical high school and $50,686 for equipment for the technical high school’s aviation school.  Additionally, Stratford has seen a 23% increase in its state ECS funding (up $4 million) because of the bipartisan budget we passed this year.

For Shelton, the legislature has approved $17.6 million for reimbursement to the new Shelton 5/6 school, and the State Bond Commission approved $3 million to reimburse the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority for costs associated with closing the Shelton landfill.  Shelton also did well this year in the annual budget, with a 9% increase in our education funding—all while not increasing any income or sales taxes.

I am currently working with Mayor Mark Lauretti and Governor Rell’s office to secure additional bonding money for downtown Shelton redevelopment.  The $2-3 million grant would rebuild infrastructure on Canal Street to enable the old factories down there to be converted to commercial, retail, and residential space.

I am also pursuing several different projects where Stratford may receive additional bond money.  I am discussing additional funding with the Governor’s office around money for the boilers at Stratford High, funds for renovation of Booth Memorial Park, and bonding for road improvements in Stratford.  Additionally, my proposal for flooding improvements will hopefully be in any final bonding package we pass—and I will work with the Town of Stratford to apply for a grant to deal with the flooding problems on Main Street and in Lordship.  We will not get all of these items (nor should we—we need to do our share to be fiscally responsible too!), but I will continue to fight to ensure that Shelton and Stratford get our fair share.

Two main principles have guided my actions on bonding and will continue to do so:  Connecticut should have a reasonable level of debt, and Shelton and Stratford should receive our fair share.  I voted against the most recent bonding package because it was irresponsible with pork barrel spending and its overall level of debt. However, I am optimistic that we will be able to pass a smaller, more reasonable package for our taxpayers while ensuring that our towns receive the grants we need to improve our facilities and infrastructure.

Dan Debicella is the State Senator representing Stratford, Shelton, Monroe, and Seymour.  If you have feedback for him or want to talk about the issues, he can be reached toll-free at (800) 842-1421 or by e-mail at dan.debicella@cga.ct.gov