ANALYSIS: Democrats' budget riddled with holes
By Keith M. Phaneuf
Journal Inquirer
Published: Friday, June 26, 2009 10:49 AM EDT
HARTFORD — On the
surface, the Senate on Thursday approved a $35.71 billion blueprint to guide
state finances for the next two fiscal years.
But upon closer review, that budget has a few blanks that need to be filled in.
And according to some of its harsher critics, this fiscal blueprint isn’t just
plagued by a few blanks — it has whole sections torn out.
Need to save $70 million? This budget would
close two state prisons, but never states which facilities would be shut down.
The entire Special Transportation Fund, involving spending for the
Transportation and Motor Vehicles departments, isn’t detailed in this budget,
leaving a question mark of more than $1.1 billion.
The budget imposes a series of 10 percent and 20 percent
across-the-board reductions on smaller state agencies, without specifying how
those savings are to be achieved.
The executive branch is instructed to save $23 million over the next two years
by reducing management by 10 percent.
The state would withhold $125 million in contributions to retiree health care
programs for teachers and municipal employees, but doesn’t require cities and
towns to make up the difference.
More than $240 million in new revenue would be raised from license, permit, and
other fee increases. But the bill doesn’t identify them.
When pressed for details, Sen. Eileen M. Daily, D-Westbrook, said Democrats
were trying to save money by not printing some 300 pages needed to outline the
increases. Instead, she said, most of them are the same as those in a package
Gov. M. Jodi Rell proposed in February, and can be found online in the
governor’s budget.
Democratic leaders ripped minority Republicans in April for suggesting that
state government could mitigate its fiscal problems by selling off some of its
assets. House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, D-Meriden, repeatedly questioned
whether Republicans wanted to sell state beaches this summer, even though the
minority party suggested selling airports, not parks or beaches.
But that didn’t stop Democrats from building a $112.5 million savings into
their budget from the sale of assets — none of which are defined in the plan.
“It is an incomplete budget,” Rell, a Republican, said. “It contains so many
holes — together with unachievable spending cuts — that new and higher taxes
would be needed each and every year for years to come.
“All state budgets should be blueprints for the future,” the governor added.
“This budget would construct an unstable foundation for Connecticut’s future.”
Sen. Daniel Debicella, R-Shelton, said that while the budget is unacceptable
with its more than $2.5 billion in tax hikes, he’s not opposed to finding
creative ways to cut spending. “But without details, it’s just a gimmick,” he
added.
The prison closure plan drew an angry response from Sen. John A. Kissel,
R-Enfield, who called it “preposterous.”
Connecticut’s
inmate population has fallen over the past year from about 19,400 to just under 18,900. But Kissel added that less than a year ago he
and other lawmakers were touring prisons that guards were describing as
dangerously overcrowded.
How could this budget assume two facilities could be closed and big savings
achieved, especially since the first of the two fiscal years in that budget
begins on July 1, just five days away? Kissel asked.
“I hear grave doubts as to whether any of these numbers will be achieved,” he
said.
But Democrats defended the less specific parts of their plan.
Sen. Toni Harp, D-New Haven, co-chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee,
said Democrats are trying to be creative in finding ways to shrink state
government in tough fiscal times.
“We dove into that bureaucracy,” added Senate President Pro Tem Donald E.
Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn.