| HARTFORD – Republicans today renewed their
efforts to dump costly municipal mandates that are taxing
towns and cities, including delaying new in-school suspension
rules and redefining the age of juvenile offenders,
and challenged Democrats to finally pass them in next
week’s special legislative session.
Republicans also said that the Democratic budget approved
Sept. 1 imposes a moratorium on school construction
because it uses nearly $8 million in debt service for
other pet projects, and cuts state aid to municipalities
from the Pequot Fund by $48 million. Seven times since
last November Democrats rejected Republican proposals
to lift or delay municipal mandates because of the state
budget crisis.
“The Democratic budget that passed Sept. 1 without
a single Republican vote has millions in hidden costs
for towns and cities that have already laid off teachers,
police, firefighters and town hall employees,’’
House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., said.
“We have heard the Democratic rhetoric about protecting
towns and cities for months but the state budget is
now becoming a reality for municipalities. ’’
Senate Republican Leader John McKinney of Fairfield
said, “Despite election-year promises to protect
municipalities and help keep property taxes low, Democrats
passed a budget loaded with costly municipal mandates
and then added insult to injury by freezing school construction
projects and cutting state-aid to cities and towns by
$50 million through a reduction in the Pequot and Mohegan
Fund. In doing so, Democrats have forced mayors and
first selectmen to make the difficult budget decisions
they were unwilling to make themselves.”
Republicans introduced a five-point local mandate relief
proposal that they will try to pass next week. The plan
was developed in response to mayors and first selectmen
and promoted by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities,
CCM. The proposals that will be offered next week include:
• Delaying implementation of the in-school suspension
of students that will require millions to hire additional
certified personnel and identify dedicated space;
• Delaying implementation
of policies that raises the age of juvenile offenders
from 17, a program that will cost towns and police department
$95 million in personnel and constructions costs;
• Delaying the requirement
that towns and cities post meeting agendas and minutes
on the web;
• Requiring a two-thirds
majority vote by the legislature to pass any more mandates;
• Adding “services’’
to the list of purchasing contracts that DAS can enter
into for municipalities.
Cafero said of the in-school suspension issue, “Welcome
back to a new school year and another unfunded mandate
Mr. Kotter. The joke is on school boards and those who
operate our schools daily,’’ Cafero said.
“The Democrats promised for months that they would
deal with this unfunded mandate but they refused and
now towns and cities will pay the price with the budget
that went into effect this month.’’
McKinney added, “Costly and unnecessary state
mandates are one of the largest drivers of municipal
budgets and property tax increases. This was the year
Democrats said they would finally take measures to relieve
local property taxpayers of this burden. Next week,
we are giving them another chance to make good on that
promise.”
Funding for school construction was diverted in the
Democratic budget to pay for other programs and has
put some local school projects at risk including those
in Newtown, Fairfield Naugatuck and a regional high
school in Woodbury. Despite some denials from Democrats,
the non-partisan OFA confirmed this week that budget
includes a school construction moratorium.
CCM, the Criminal Justice Division and the state Judicial
branch have all urged that the Raise the Age initiative
be postponed because of the budget crunch. The judiciary
has estimated it will double the current caseload at
juvenile facilities.
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