June 24, 2010
State Budget Crisis
Normally, my column is spent on specific town issues. However, I’m going to talk about a state issue this week because I think it is critically important for everyone to understand the situation we will soon be facing.
Current projections show Connecticut facing a $3-4 billion dollar deficit in the 2011-2012 fiscal year with similar projections for the following years. To put things in perspective, this means that Connecticut will not have enough money for nearly 20% of the items that are currently budgeted for.
Connecticut has known about this problem for a while now. However, we have chosen to ignore the magnitude of the situation and done everything possible to avoid dealing with the tough issues. As most of us know, ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away, it just makes it worse.
To avoid dealing with the problem, we have dipped into our savings. We have borrowed money for operational expenses. We have not enacted meaningful changes to reduce costs.
The results were predictable. We have used up our entire “rainy day” fund. We have reached our borrowing limit and the ratings agencies have downgraded our bonds because of our excessive debt and budget gap. We have continued business as usual. As former Gov. Lowell Weicker said last week, “It's going to be a very cold shower for a very drunk state.”
We have reached a point where continued inaction is no longer an option. The opportunities to address this problem when it was much more containable have passed. I am gravely concerned for the impact this will cause to both the state and Colchester. A very real scenario includes sharp reductions in state aid to Colchester and other towns. State programs could be cut. State taxes could be increased. No one knows what will happen, but we all know it will not be pretty.
If you notice throughout the entire column, I’ve used the term “we” often. This is intentional. The crisis that is coming does not belong to any person or group, it belongs to all of us. Pointing fingers and assessing blame is just another step in avoiding the problem. The Governor, the House of Representatives, and the Senate all have a shared accountability in this crisis and are responsible. The citizens who have allowed this to happen are responsible. I don’t serve in Hartford, but I am still a citizen and an elected official. I’m responsible too.
We as a state must immediately begin working on solving this crisis. I don’t want to wait for the elections in November or for the new Governor to take office. The longer we avoid this problem, the worse it will become.
I wish this was one of those columns filled with good news and I don’t want anyone to think that great things aren’t happening in Colchester and in Connecticut. There is certainly a lot to be proud of in our great state and town. However, I always want to keep the public well informed and everyone needs to know the magnitude of the problem we are facing.
- Gregg Schuster
First Selectman
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
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