Forwarded by Carl Fortuna Jr, First Selectman; the following announcment from CCM, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.
The State’s Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth released its final report. CCM will fully assess each of the proposals for their local impact, but many are similar to those we released in our report, This Is Different Report. Key elements of the plan that will help towns and cities include:
- Require the State pay a higher PILOT payment to municipalities on the properties it owns.
- Allow Service in Lieu of Taxes (SILOTS) to be imposed on non-profit colleges and hospital.
- Allow towns - or through their local COG– the option to raise local revenue by charging an additional 0.5 percent in sales tax. It would be authorized by the local COG and disseminated on a regional basis
- Increase fees for use of the public rights of way related to stormwater, hotels, car rentals and restaurants.
- Provide that non-union labor be permitted on rehabilitation projects costing under $1 million.
- Provide towns with a single neutral arbitrator for municipal labor negotiations.
- Protect up to 15 percent of a town’s fund balance from being used to pay for labor contract settlements.
The report does make recommendations to address the Teachers Retirement System, however at first glance, would do so by not shifting any additional cost on to towns and cities. In addition, the commission also proposes to eliminate collective bargaining for fringe benefits for state employees. CCM would support expanding the proposal to also cover municipal employees.
There continues to be strong consensus amongst the Commission members that a critical component of the Commission’s call for action receive full consideration by the General Assembly – this session.
Connecticut has long been the land of steady habits, but the precarious fiscal condition that still plagues the state budget demands that Connecticut change some key core public policies – now. Much like CCM’s This Is Different Report, the commission’s set of recommendations are significantly different and entirely reasonable.
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If you have any questions, please contact Joe DeLong or Brian O’Connor of CCM, 203-498-3000.
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