Connecticut’s cities and towns have reached out to us in the legislature to ask for some additional flexibility in putting together local budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.

The Appropriations and Finance Committee members are busy going through the Governor’s proposal line by line, soliciting input from constituents, to make sure we produce a budget that supports working families, makes long-term investments in our economy, and brings greater predictability to our states’ finances.

At the same time, we are working on a measure with municipal leaders to give towns the option to take additional time to put together their budget for this fiscal year. This will help local leaders make sure they are crafting a budget with the most up-to-date information possible.

When towns have concrete information on what they can expect in state funding, they can make local budget decisions without worrying about funding changes. Many of them adopt their budgets according to their charters before the state adopts its budget and this has caused problems.

Our plan is supported by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. Even though the Republicans in the Senate blocked the legislation, we will continue to work to give municipalities time and flexibility when drafting local budgets.