To recap the state budget session; Governor Rell rolled out a budget that allocated to Norwalk $11.4 million, Democrats subsequently rolled out a budget that allocated to Norwalk $9.2 million, and the Republican House allocated $10.5 million. They all get there by doing different things with raising revenues and spending on programs. Chris Powell, of the Journal Inquirer points out that Connecticut poll-takers, at least through a Quinipiac poll presumably of registered voters, have simple concerns about what the state government should do. He says (emphasis mine):

Yet the Q poll found that the issue of greatest concern to most people — 29 percent — is not any public need but rather taxes. And not even property taxes particularly, the taxes most bemoaned by the state’s elected officials, but taxes generally, which the Q poll identified as the top concern of 20 percent. Only 6 percent made property taxes their top concern.

The concern about taxes seemed reflected as well in the issue that ranked second in the Q poll — the state’s economy, at 22 percent.

That is, between those two issues more than half Connecticut’s residents seem most concerned about economic conditions, not about any particular government program or lack of one.

Predictably enough, 69 percent of the Q poll’s respondents supported making the state income tax more progressive, with the tax burden shifted still more to the wealthy. But the poll also found that the public defines “wealthy” far differently than the Democratic leadership of the General Assembly does. The legislative Democrats propose to raise taxes on couples earning $190,000 or more annually, or two incomes of $95,000 each. (Just a few months ago the Democrats’ threshold of wealth was a joint income of $1 million.)

By contrast, in the Q poll the smallest income considered “wealthy” by 50 percent of the respondents is $200,000 for a single person — more than twice the income in the Democratic definition.

The public seems to think little of the three issues most clamored about in this session of the legislature.

Powell went on to identify what those issues are; education transportation, medical insurance and raising the state income tax. Powell somehow misses the health care issue. The Q-poll respondees mostly skeptical of any of these.

So Patrick Linsey talked to State Senator Bob Duff and State Rep Chris Perone for insight into the budget:

State Sen. Bob Duff, D-25, and state Reps. Chris Perone, D-137, and Bruce Morris, D-140, are supportive of the Democratic budget’s spending on health care for the uninsured and education. But each is lobbying Democratic leadership for more education funding for Norwalk.

And while their budget offers tax breaks for lower-income earners and a doubling of the property tax credit to $1,000, the Norwalk Democrats are opposed to tax hikes that hit joint filers making as little as $150,001.

“We are looking at a progressive income tax that considers $150,000 to be wealthy,” Perone said. “Down here in Fairfield County, two joint filers making that much money are middle class. You’re talking about a teacher and a police officer who makes overtime.”

Perone is right to identify that the Democrat plan places an additional burden on Norwalk’s tax payers by hiking taxes at joint filers grossing $150k. But that issue, is hardly the one that will deliver the bacon to Norwalk.

Duff, Perone and Morris “are working hard to do everything possible” to find more money for Norwalk schools, Duff said.

Democrats have two-thirds super majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, meaning party-line votes can overturn vetoes from Rell. But judging by statements from local Democrats, the party isn’t exactly lined up.

Norwalk political leaders have complained for years that the state’s ECS formula penalizes the city, which has high property values but more poor families than Gold Coast suburbs like Westport and Greenwich.

“Norwalk is similar to other urban school districts,” said Morris, who is also human relations officer for the school district. “The Democratic budget does not consider our needs.”

Perone and Morris will give House Majority Leader Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, a tour of Norwalk’s Kendall Elementary School next week as part of their campaign for more funding.

Linsey identifies the core problem facing the Norwalk delegation. The politics of a two party system are overiding the politics of the region. Lawmkakers from upstate are controlling the purse strings of Fairfield County’s tax revenue, and reallocating it to upstate projects. Keith Phaneuf in an earlier article provided examples:

* $500,000 to help construct a regional animal shelter in South Windsor.
* $9 million for Goodwin College.
* $1 million to Somers for two fire substations and another $1 million to expand housing for the elderly at the Woodcrest complex.
* $50,000 to the Tolland County Mutual Aid dispatching service.
* $3.3 million to help Enfield remediate pollution near athletic fields at Enrico Fermi High School.
* $1.5 million to help convert the Roosevelt Mills in Vernon to apartments and retail commercial space.
* And $283,000 to help Vernon restore the local Historical Society museum and the Vernon Grange Building.

If the Democratic delegation were serious about getting more “bacon” for Norwalk, they would be busy lining up a coalition of votes to knock out some of these pork laden goodies targeted to underpopulated districts and start redirecting that bacon here and in the rest of Fairfield County. For me at least, this is not a question of just fair distribution of state aide, but also a pragmatic assessment that is aimed at improving the economic vitality of Connecticut as a whole.

The economic engine of Connecticut is Fairfield County. More people live here, more jobs are created here and more tax revenue is sent to Hartford from here. Fairfield County is also suffering for extraordinary high costs of living, form housing to gridlocked transportation. The state lawmakers should be concentrating their efforts on addressing increased investment into Fairfield County so that the economic growth can continue.

The ECS grants, yes, are based on funding education, however, the real story is how educational funding in Norwalk has come at the expense of infrastructure spending which has hampered economic vitality. There can be no plans for improving transportation hubs, increasing mass transit links to other parts of the state and keeping roads clear of cars, trucks, pot holes and flood water, if a city such as Norwalk is continuously hiking taxes to pay for “Education”.

Linsey’s article continues:

Duff said figures released by Democratic leadership this week show Norwalk would get another $300,000 in priority education money, an extra boost to Connecticut school districts with significant poverty, as well as special education funding and other grants.

That increase was laughed off by Cafero.

“It’s nothing,” Cafero said. “We (Republicans are) talking about plans that give Norwalk millions of extra dollars. We’re the sixth largest city in the state. We pay millions of dollars to the state and under their proposal we’ll pay millions more. I mean come on.”

And why is Cafeo laughing, instead of seriously working on getting the Democratic side of the Norwalk delegation to work on increasing the Norwalk share. Two party political games are not going to help Norwalk. The deck is stacked against the Republican plan, and Cafero should know that and be busy identifying other Democratic Fairfield County Reps that he could work with to create a fairer distribution of ECS revenue to all the Fairfield County towns.

But Norwalk’s Democratic lawmakers are supporting other provisions of their party’s budget, especially those that fund health care and private entities that provide state services.

“The governor has essentially left a lot of those groups out and we had to pick up the pieces in order to keep them afloat,” said Duff. “Some private providers are in danger of closing up shop if we don’t fund them correctly.”

“There are certainly some interesting things. The earned income tax credit is positive,” added Perone. “The property tax credit increase is a good thing.”

Democrats also noted Rell’s announcement last week that new economic figures mean her budget could possibly be funded with little or no tax increase. Those figures might make the Democratic budget easier to fund without large tax increases, they said.

“Clearly, if there is more money on the table to make up for some of the short falls that I feel are in the tax package for Fairfield County, I think that would be helpful,” said Perone.

Except that without GAAP, the projected revenues Rell cited is really funny money. And that is no laughing matter.

source: The Journal Inquirer, Spare us your big ideas, poll tells state Capitol, By Chris Powell, 05/10/2007

source: The Hour, Local Dem lawmakers mixed over budget plans, By PATRICK R. LINSEY, May 13, 2007