Malloy unveils details of budget cuts
Updated: Friday, 15 Jul 2011, 4:30 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 15 Jul 2011, 5:40 AM EDT
Mark Davis
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Gov. Dannel P. Malloy released details of his plan to balance Connecticut's two-year, $40.1 billion budget without a labor savings agreement in place.
Click here to read the plan (.pdf)
the plans are out to cut 1.6 billion dollars in spending over the next 23 months because the state employee unions rejected that big concession deal.
The state court system is taking a very big hit with 450 layoffs including probation officers, marshals and clerks resulting in the closing of the New Haven Juvenile Detention Center, the courthouse in Enfield, the Juvenile courthouses in Torrington and Rockville, plus six law libraries.
Other facilities will have limited services a few days a week, including the courthouses in Derby, Danbury, Bristol, Norwich, Norwalk and Putnam.
The criminal and other matters will be moved to larger facilities in Milford, Waterbury, Manchester and Stamford which are already operating at near capacity.
"When people are asked to do more with less, people are entirely capable of stepping up to the plate, think things might move a little bit more slowly," says Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's Top Aide.
Most people in and out of the system believe the courts already move at a glacial pace.
Also closing; the welfare offices in Middletown, and Stamford. The adminstration says Stamford was chosen to close because it has good train and bus service.
"There are better public transportation options available there, much of the catchment area for the Stamford office is in Norwalk and obviously those in Norwalk have a similar ease of access to another office in Bridgeport," says Ben Barnes, State Budget Director.
Other closings and cutbacks include the Waterbury unemployment office, the armories in Manchester, Norwalk and Naugatuck. The seven highway rest stops will close and there will be no services, the plug is being pulled on the State's film industry training program.
"You can't downsize state government by about 6,500 people, close a deficit of $1.6 billion without having an impact on public services," says Occhiogrosso.
The following are the words of a highly placed capitol insider who is not authorized to speak publicly.
He said; "all this is happening because members of the prison guards union and the state police union don't want to be told they have to go to the doctor once a year."
Malloy has said anything the legislature rejects will have to be balanced with a similar cut somewhere else.
"I think finding alternative cuts, I mean the reason that these are in here is because the alternatives were worse," says Barnes.
The state labor union leadership meets on Monday to vote on changing their by-laws on union contract voting.
The Governor remains in Salt Lake City for the National Governor's conference, leaving his top staffers to again break the bad news.
Updated: Friday, 15 Jul 2011, 4:30 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 15 Jul 2011, 5:40 AM EDT
Mark Davis
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Gov. Dannel P. Malloy released details of his plan to balance Connecticut's two-year, $40.1 billion budget without a labor savings agreement in place.
Click here to read the plan (.pdf)
the plans are out to cut 1.6 billion dollars in spending over the next 23 months because the state employee unions rejected that big concession deal.
The state court system is taking a very big hit with 450 layoffs including probation officers, marshals and clerks resulting in the closing of the New Haven Juvenile Detention Center, the courthouse in Enfield, the Juvenile courthouses in Torrington and Rockville, plus six law libraries.
Other facilities will have limited services a few days a week, including the courthouses in Derby, Danbury, Bristol, Norwich, Norwalk and Putnam.
The criminal and other matters will be moved to larger facilities in Milford, Waterbury, Manchester and Stamford which are already operating at near capacity.
"When people are asked to do more with less, people are entirely capable of stepping up to the plate, think things might move a little bit more slowly," says Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's Top Aide.
Most people in and out of the system believe the courts already move at a glacial pace.
Also closing; the welfare offices in Middletown, and Stamford. The adminstration says Stamford was chosen to close because it has good train and bus service.
"There are better public transportation options available there, much of the catchment area for the Stamford office is in Norwalk and obviously those in Norwalk have a similar ease of access to another office in Bridgeport," says Ben Barnes, State Budget Director.
Other closings and cutbacks include the Waterbury unemployment office, the armories in Manchester, Norwalk and Naugatuck. The seven highway rest stops will close and there will be no services, the plug is being pulled on the State's film industry training program.
"You can't downsize state government by about 6,500 people, close a deficit of $1.6 billion without having an impact on public services," says Occhiogrosso.
The following are the words of a highly placed capitol insider who is not authorized to speak publicly.
He said; "all this is happening because members of the prison guards union and the state police union don't want to be told they have to go to the doctor once a year."
Malloy has said anything the legislature rejects will have to be balanced with a similar cut somewhere else.
"I think finding alternative cuts, I mean the reason that these are in here is because the alternatives were worse," says Barnes.
The state labor union leadership meets on Monday to vote on changing their by-laws on union contract voting.
The Governor remains in Salt Lake City for the National Governor's conference, leaving his top staffers to again break the bad news.
