Officials: Revised State Budget Balanced on the Backs of Southington Taxpayers

It seems state legislators are serious about finding ways to cut the budget deficit, but the latest proposal now approved by the legislature’s Appropriations Committee aims to do so at a high cost to Southington taxpayers.

A cost of $422,021 and restrictions on how other state money can be spent by the town, to be exact.

“This is a substantial reduction in funding and it simultaneously changes the way we are able to use the funds and go about our business,” Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback said Thursday. “At this point (in our process) there are no simple options. We are looking into this and will provide recommendations as soon as we are able.”

The cuts came just 24-hours after the Southington Town Council held a public hearing into the finance board’s budget plan for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Under the plan provided, the balanced budget would have led to a 0.02 mill decrease in the coming year that would lead to a $4 reduction for the average taxpayer.

With the town saving money, many residents came out in support of seeing the $1.1 million cut by the finance board restored to the school budget.

Now both those tax breaks and the reality of possibly seeing that money restored is in serious jeopardy, town officials said.

Brumback said the impact of the late changes are a reduction in funding that would cause a 0.11 mill swing and lead to an increase in taxes this year – even before any potential changes are made by the Southington Town Council on May 9.

“It’s a state decision that would flip the potential reduction into a $20 annual increase for our average taxpayer,” he said. “At this particular point in the game, that the best that we could hope for is to have them restore the governor’s proposal as presented.”

To make matters worse for the community, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities notes that changes in funding will take $870,000 initially budgeted in an unrestricted “Hold Harmless” grant and eliminate it, providing funding back in other was including through the state’s Local Capital Improvement Program, or LoCIP, which carries restrictions and requirements on how the money can be spent.

State Sen. Joseph Markley said this week that the changes will also drastically impact hospitals, including the Hospital of Central Connecticut at Bradley Memorial, and does little to support the need to reduce taxes for the middle class.

“The chairs of these powerful committees will now meet with the Governor and his staff to negotiate a final budget that will be voted on by the full general assembly,” Markley said. “If it’s anything like the fiasco currently before us, I will not be supporting this budget.”

Are you concerned by the impact of the state’s late changes to the proposed budget? What would you see the state do? Does it change your perspective on whether the school board should see funding restored? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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