Posted on April 5, 2017
HARTFORD — State Representative Holly Cheeseman (R-37) wrote to the Legislative Appropriations Committee this week to offer her strong support for a bill she co-introduced to aid municipalities in their budget-making process.
Senate Bill 154 would require the General Assembly to adopt portions of the state budget appropriating aid to municipalities no later than March 1st in any calendar year. In other words, the state can no longer delay giving towns their funding past this early spring date each year. This way, towns can properly and timely settle on a budget that takes into consideration just how much funding they received.
“I am only too familiar with the problems created by the disconnect between the municipal budget cycle and that of the state,” said Rep. Cheeseman, a three-term member of the East Lyme Board of Selectmen. “The challenges facing our towns and cities are manifold and made exponentially worse by the uncertainty that hangs over state funding. We as a legislature do a real disservice to the residents who elected us by not prioritizing our budget process.
“Each day the newspapers are full of stories about towns throughout the state, from New London and Norwich to West Hartford and Bristol, struggling with how to structure their budgets going forward in the face of the question marks hanging over state funding. The two towns I represent, East Lyme and Salem, are no different. Boards of Selectmen, Boards of Education and Boards of Finance are forced to roll the financial dice and hope for the best, without any certainty of what will be decided here in Hartford. We as legislators owe it to them to do better and complete the most important work, deciding how the state will spend its money, before addressing other legislation,” Rep. Cheeseman said.
This bill received a public hearing on April 3rd and now awaits action by the Appropriations Committee before it can be considered by the General Assembly.