Milone confers with legislators over Malloy plan [New Haven Register (CT)]

New_Haven_Regist, 2013-02-19

Town Manager Michael Milone told members of the community's legislative delegation last week that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed budget could leave a $5.6 million hole in the town spending plan he is developing for fiscal 2014.

Malloy's plan to eliminate the state's Mashantucket-Pequot grants and its program for making payments in lieu of taxes to communities that have state facilities in their borders, as well as dramatically scaling back car tax payments, will deal a crushing blow to the town if approved, Milone said during a meeting with state Sen. Joe Markley, R-Southington, and state Sen. Dante Bartolomeo, D-Meriden.

"It has no immediate revenue benefits for us," Milone told the two lawmakers at a meeting last week.

Milone said the town's best hope is lawmakers working in collaboration with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and coming up with an acceptable alternative to Malloy's budget.

"I've got to get a budget to the Town Council in three weeks, so I hope they can find a realistic alternative," Milone said. "But right now, it's almost like a complete guessing game."

Bartolomeo told Milone she believes a compromise can be reached.

"This is going to go through a lot of twists and turns as part of the process," Bartolomeo said.

Milone said Malloy's budget proposal calls for making more money available to communities through the existing Local Capital Improvement Program. But, that money comes with strings attached, he said.

"To use that money, we have to identify projects that meet very specific guidelines and then it has to be approved" by the state's Office of Policy and Management, Milone said. "And you don't realize this money immediately; it comes as a reimbursement that is spread out over time, conceivably over several years."

Markley characterized Malloy's budget as "an attempt to move money away from the towns and give it to the cities."

Call Luther Turmelle at 203-789-5706. lturmelle@nhregister.com/ @LutherTurmelle on Twitter

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