Hard budget choices
The howls are increasing about what Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposes trimming to achieve his 2016 budget of $19.7 billion and 2017 proposal of $20.3 billion.
Under the plan, spending goes up 3.3 percent next fiscal year, which starts July 1, and up 3.1 percent the following year. To get to those numbers the governor proposes the legislature cut spending in some areas and limit growth in others.
That's because there are fixed increases he cannot do much about, such as the 7.7 percent growth next year in debt service, a $173.5 million expenditure, and the nearly 10 percent hike in contractually obligated fringe benefits, including employee and retiree health care and pensions, which make up $262.4 million of the budget.
A couple of areas where the governor chose to find savings are human services and tourism. Both hit close to home. Nonprofit human services agencies in the region released a report last year showing they were already lagging behind their big-city cousins when it came to state support. And tourism is a major factor in our local economy.
According to the plan, $143 million would be cut from the Department of Social Services budget over the next two years. The Department of Developmental Services and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services would see small increases, but the administration concedes the money would not keep up with case-load growth.
Meanwhile, Gov. Malloy, who in his first run for governor made reviving the tourism industry a priority - pledging $15 million annually in marketing - wants to cut that to $10 million. He would eliminate all funding for the state's three tourism districts.
The nonprofit Mystic Aquarium, which serves as a major tourism draw, a research institute and works with local schools to promote science education, would lose its $600,000 state subsidy.
Some of this does not add up. For example, the budget would double the fee the elderly pay toward home care assistance from 7 percent to 14 percent, likely driving more into nursing homes, where the care is far more expensive.
Cutting tourism support is likely to reduce resultant economic activity and tax revenues.
Yet the reality is that the governor - and now the legislature - has to produce a budget that balances. If these are the wrong cuts, or go too deep, lawmakers must find other cuts or raise taxes, again.
A budget sets policy priorities. Connecticut is about to have a vigorous debate about what are its priorities.
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