Politics & Government
Legislative Committee Cuts Stonington State Aid Even More
Stonington would lose $61,000 more than what Gov. Dannel P. Malloy had proposed.
Stonington would lose another $61,000 in state aid under the 2013-14 budget passed last week by the General Assembly's Appropriations Committee.
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities says the new state budget figures coming out of Hartford shows even steeper cuts in local funding than Gov. Dannel P. Malloy had proposed.
"The Appropriations/Finance Committee’s proposed state budget restored some key municipal aid programs but cut others," CCM said in a letter this week to legislative leaders. "In fact, this latest proposed state budget cuts municipal general fund (unrestricted) revenue by $152 million compared to $128 million in cuts proposed by the governor."
Stonington's total budget proposal that goes to referendum on April 30 is $57,937,663, which represents a .35-mill increase over last year's budget, a tax rate of 19.88 mills. The breakdown is:
- Education: $33,733,623
- General Government: $18,690,869
- Debt Service: $4,569,159
- Capital Projects: $944,012
"Any reduction in aid to the town is difficult for the local taxpayer," Board of Finance Chairman Glenn Frishman said Wednesday. "Any money we don't get from Hartford comes from the local taxpayer."
Frishman said the board cannot revisit the budget until after the referendum vote next Tuesday.
"I'd love to see the General Assembly shelve unfunded state mandates and act in a responsible manner to the local property owners," he said. "Because that's where the money comes from."
First Selectman Ed Haberek said in an email, "We look forward to seeing where the cuts are and will have to adjust our budget accordingly."
In its letter, CCM urged the legislature "to ... craft a state budget that protects the interest of Hometown Connecticut and its residential and business property taxpayers," CCm said in its letter to legislative leaders. "Make every effort to fully restore municipal general aid and craft a budget that is fair to towns and cities."
The polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
First and Third District votes at Stonington Firehouse, 100 Main St., Stonington Borough.
Second District votes at the Pawcatuck Firehouse, 33 Liberty St., Pawcatuck. Fourth and Fifth districts vote at the Hoxie Firehouse, 34 Broadway, Mystic.
Patch Associate Regional Editor Eileen McNamara contributed to this report.
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