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Angry, Hurting, and Desperate

There’s no end in sight to the state budget stalemate, so the governor’s Executive Order 58 stands. From it, the $6.2 million cut in state aid to Clinton this year is the fiscal equivalent of six hurricanes, with no first responders and no FEMA reimbursement. This is a man-made disaster.

Clinton’s cut in municipal state aid is the 25th highest in dollars, the 23rd highest percent, and the 16th highest per capita under this order.

So far, the Clinton boards of Selectmen and Finance exhibit zero sense of emergency or urgency.

Other Connecticut towns have taken tangible measures to avoid translating these cuts in state aid into unmitigated tax increases. Not Clinton!

A survey of Connecticut towns conducted by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) reported that: “Nearly half of the towns (29 of the 61 communities) have imposed some type or level of spending freeze during the first quarter of the fiscal year.” These include freezing capital spending, delaying equipment purchases, freezing hiring, postponing spending, reducing education expenditures, cutting overtime, cutting employee raises, and eliminating Board of Education positions.

Instead, Clinton proposes an unprecedented $5.2 million appropriation to subsidize a private water main to private residences, which the Board of Finance will decide on Monday, Aug. 21 whether to send to referendum.

CCM’s survey reported mill-rate increases between 0.8- and 9.4 percent. Clinton, with a 10.2-percent mill-rate increase, is an outlier. The cuts in state funding are a rational and understandable reason to cut spending and an irrational excuse to increase taxes, but Clinton chose the latter.

As I collect signatures to primary for first selectman on Sept. 12, I’m hearing that Clinton registered Republicans are extremely disappointed. They are angry, hurting, and, in some cases, desperate. They can’t wait for new leadership to stop the bleeding.

Kirk Carr

Clinton

Kirk Carr is challenging endorsed incumbent Bruce Farmer to be Clinton’s Republican first selectman candidate.