Towns and cities have it rough. The state can cut off grants to municipalities to help balance the budget, but towns and cities have no recourse other than raising taxes or cutting services. Unsurprisingly, over 200 municipal leaders were in Hartford yesterday to make the case )(CTNJ) for more state aid (Courant).
Among the options being proposed was a proposal for a local sales tax, similar to what mayors were proposing last year.
It’s worth remembering that while legislators may have to choose (eventually) between laying off workers, consolidating agencies or raising taxes, town and city leaders have the arguably more thankless task of either raising already high property taxes (and, in some towns, submitting that proposal to a very irritated electorate) or cutting teachers, police and other town workers, closing schools, or slashing other town services like, say, library hours.
Several proposals have been made in the legislature this year to provide strong incentives for regionalization. However, I can’t imagine that they’ll be enough to make a significant difference this year.
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Here is a link to a very intersting story from Ken Dixon at the CT Post that is related to the press conference.
Finch comes out in support of school vouchers
Bridgeport mayor wants to plug education gaps
http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_12098208
It’s about time the Towns of CT band together and just tell the State, that they aren’t partitcipating in State Mandates of any kind.
Too many Towns hold off until the last minute to put their respective Budgets together until they see how much”free” money they are going to get from the State. Why can’t Towns just stay within thier means like everyday people.
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