Norwich — Republican representatives from the region decried the latest state budget session Wednesday during a Greater Norwich Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Norwich, while Democrats pointed to new efforts to rein in costs.

State Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, was particularly vocal about a last-minute decision to cut $20 million from aid to towns that he said was political retribution for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's failure to get his Second Chance Society bill through the legislature. The measure was expected to save the state $15 million in incarceration costs.

The 47th District representative called it ridiculous that towns still don't know exactly how much they are going to receive from the state, despite the fact that they have already locked in their own budgets.

"The numbers aside, the way the budget was put together and the way it was pushed through the legislature, it was completely irresponsible," Dubitsky said. "It's no way to run a state."

First-term state Rep. Mike France, R-Ledyard, said his biggest objection to the budget process is that the public does not have enough time to contemplate proposals before they are acted on. Even legislators, he said, have little time to look at budget changes.

"I think there needs to be a better process so the public can have access," the 42nd District representative said.

But state Rep. Kevin Ryan, D-Norwich, pointed to several positives out of the last General Assembly session, saying there was no tax increase, the state didn't dip into its rainy day fund, non-union wages were frozen and several structural changes will lead to significant savings over time.

The issue of state-employee overtime, however, rankled some members of the audience and legislators who pointed to some $240 million in budget costs over the past few years. And Dubitsky predicted the overtime problem could get worse next fiscal year considering plans by Malloy to cut 2,500 state employees.

"If you're worried about the overtime for last year, I can tell you you haven't seen anything yet," he said.

But State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, said it's not correct to assume overtime will increase simply because fewer employees are doing the same amount of work. Some work has to be done no matter what, she said, such as state police and correctional shifts, which is where most of the overtime occurs.

"You can't close off a cell block (to cut down on overtime costs)," she said. "Most overtime is not the result of day-to-day workload."

The General Assembly is constrained in its oversight of the executive branch, which is responsible for many of the overtime issues, the panel told an audience of about 50, though state Sen. Paul Formica, D-East Lyme, said he believes "all state contracts should get voted on by the legislature."

France said overtime sometimes makes sense as opposed to hiring extra employees. The real issue, he said, is when overtime pay is rolled into retirement calculations, a problem that would be relieved if the state moved from pensions to 401k-type retirement plans.

Several members of the panel expressed worries about Connecticut's business climate, including overlapping and unnecessary regulations.

"We have to be careful we don't overtax and overregulate," said state Rep. Kathleen McCarthy, R-Waterford.

Dubitsky cited statistics from the Yankee Institute showing that over the past five years Connecticut has lost 38 people and $5.3 million in revenue every day.

"Businesses don't want to be here; it's a business-unfriendly state," he said. "Taxes are too high, and there is too much regulation. It's just that simple. We just need to leave business to do business."

l.howard@theday.com