Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Advocates for teachers, towns say voters oppose pension cost shift

  • Money
  • by Keith M. Phaneuf
  • April 18, 2017
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Keith M. Phaneuf :: CTMirror.org

Connecticut Education Association Executive Director Mark Waxenberg

West Hartford — Lobbying groups for Connecticut teachers and municipalities unveiled poll results Tuesday showing 72 percent of voters oppose using local property tax dollars to fund a portion of the state’s pension program for public school teachers.

The survey, commissioned by the Connecticut Education Association and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, also found 64 percent of voters would cast ballots against legislators who back such a plan.

(Click here for the  survey methodology, questions and results.)

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration, which wants to shift one-third of a skyrocketing pension bill onto municipalities, responded that communities and teachers must accept that Connecticut must make tough choices to address long-ignored problems.

And while the advocates for education and municipalities insisted shifting pension costs onto the local property tax base was an unacceptable solution, they didn’t discuss how state officials should cover an expense projected to grow 525 percent over the next 15 years.

“While we recognize that the state is facing ongoing budget challenges, shifting state funding obligations for essential services onto already-strapped cities and towns is not a viable solution,” said CEA Executive Director Mark Waxenberg. “The public wants honest, fair, sustainable solutions to the state’s budget crisis, not increased property taxes.”

Keith M. Phaneuf :: CTMirror.org file photo

Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Executive Director Joe DeLong

“Town and city budgets are already strained from having to fund a growing portion of the costs of critical public services, due to more than a decade of minimal increases in state funding for municipalities,” said CCM Executive Director Joe DeLong. “Plans for this massive shift in additional state costs onto cities and towns for teacher retirement payments will force both big increases in property taxes and deep cuts in critical municipal services.”

The two groups released results of a telephone survey conducted last week by the Washington, D.C., polling firm Lake Research Partners.

The poll of 600 Connecticut voters found 72 percent oppose using local property tax receipts to cover a pension bill the state currently funds entirely by itself, with 20 percent supporting the idea of a cost-shift.

When asked about the concept of using local tax dollars to help balance the state’s books in general, 67 percent opposed the idea with 18 percent in support.

The poll also found 69 percent of respondents want legislators to reject any shift of teacher pension costs onto communities, while 64 percent said they would vote against any legislators who back such a shift.

The poll has a 4.0 percentage point margin of error.

The governor’s proposal is incredibly controversial largely for two reasons:

Pension costs are projected to surge to unprecedented levels in the next two fiscal years;

And the reason for that surge involves decades of inadequate savings by past legislatures and governors — a problem officials expect will incite considerable voter anger as the general public learns more about the issue.

The state will pay just over $1 billion this fiscal year into the teacher’s pension fund. But a 2015 study commissioned by the Malloy administration and prepared by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College warned that contribution could grow about 525 percent, topping $6.2 billion by 2032.

Malloy wants communities to own one-third of that surging bill, starting with a $407 million payment next fiscal year.

“What we heard today from local leaders and from these special interest groups was a plea to maintain the status quo and continue to spend money that the state doesn’t have,” Malloy spokeswoman Kelly Donnelly said. “The fact is that we will not arrive at a balanced budget without bold action that substantially addresses the systemic challenges plaguing the state’s finances.”

Donnelly added that, “Governor Malloy has put forward his proposal at how to arrive at a responsible, balanced budget and he has been very clear about his expectations for adopting a budget this year — he will not entertain a budget that falls short of making the level of systemic change necessary for the state’s long-term prosperity.”

But West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said her community could not absorb a cost set to grow by more than 500 percent in the next decade-and-a-half simply by cutting local spending. There would be no way to avoid major property tax hikes, she said.

Joe Cirasuolo, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, said the cuts that would come under this scenario would be devastating.

Full-day kindergarten programs would vanish in many communities, while shrinking support services would push many students into special education programs.

“We’re going to see a very different and much diminished enterprise,” he said.

The chief reason for those skyrocketing teacher pension costs, according to the Boston College study, is more than seven decades of inadequate state contributions to the fund.

And Democratic members of West Hartford’s state delegation said it is unfair to ask communities to clean up the state’s mess.

“West Hartford feels like there’s a target on its back,” Rep. Derek Slap said. “ … West Hartford did not spend decades under-funding (the pension system), the state did.”

Rep. Joe Verrengia predicted the governor’s cost-shift plan would be rejected.

“I can assure you, at the end of the day, our budget is going to look a lot different,” he said.

Keith M. Phaneuf :: CTMirror.org

Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford

But critics also were light on specific alternatives. Democrats saw their majority in the House reduced considerably in last year’s state election while their lead in the Senate evaporated entirely. That chamber now is split 18-18.

And both parties fear any discussion of tax increases would give the other side an edge in the 2018 election.

So how should the state deal with surging pension costs?

Sen. Beth Bye said her constituents overwhelmingly identify the property tax as the most regressive levy in Connecticut.

Still, “I don’t have the exact solution,” Bye said.

“We hope there can be another way, Waxenberg said. “ … I’m not the one who gets to vote.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith M. Phaneuf A winner of numerous journalism awards, Keith Phaneuf has been CT Mirror’s state finances reporter since it launched in 2010. The former State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, Keith has spent most of 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. A former contributing writer to The New York Times, Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
With billions in federal relief on the way to CT, legislators assert their role in deciding how to spend it
by Keith M. Phaneuf and Mark Pazniokas

With an unusual bill, state legislators are reminding Gov. Ned Lamont they have significant role in disbursing federal coronavirus relief.

CT hasn’t started collecting new payroll tax from state workers
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Connecticut established a new payroll tax surcharge on Jan. 1 but still isn't deducting it from state workers' paychecks.

Lamont’s budget offers another round of tax amnesty
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposal waives penalties and caps interest at 3% over each of the next two fiscal years.

Senate sends data center incentives and town aid pledge bills to Lamont’s desk
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Senate endorsed an omnibus fiscal bill that lays the groundwork for a major boost in PILOT aid to many municipalities.

House approves big municipal aid pledge, tax incentive bills
by Keith M. Phaneuf and Mark Pazniokas

The House approved bills Wednesday pledging $100 million-plus in new municipal aid and offering tax incentives to attract data centers.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Assisted suicide lobby spreads falsehoods to promote systemic ableism
by Stephen Mendelsohn

Proponents of assisted suicide repeatedly spread falsehoods to promote their lethal and ableist agenda.  The February 8 op-ed, “Aid in dying is not assisted suicide” is no exception. Suicide is defined as the act of taking one’s life intentionally.  The person who intentionally ingests a prescribed lethal overdose more closely fits the dictionary definition of suicide than the despondent person who jumps off a bridge.  The desire for suicide is a cry for help, even when redefined as a “medical treatment option.”

Opinion TCI will create a fourth gasoline tax
by Christian A. Herb

The Transportation Climate Initiative, or TCI, calls for a proposed emissions fee on gasoline to help battle climate change. On the surface, supporters say it is a small price to pay to help save the planet; and if you truly believe that this is the case, then you should consider voting for it. Despite the administration’s efforts to go out of their way to not call TCI a tax, the simple truth is that it will only create additional financial hardships on lower- and middle-income families struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.

Opinion Let’s keep telehealth when the pandemic ends
by Steven Madonick, MD

Telehealth may lead to positive, even transformational changes in psychiatric care, and Connecticut needs to keep it after the pandemic. Connecticut needs to pass the necessary laws to continue telehealth and telephonic care.

Opinion The public health bill no one is talking about, but should be
by Brian Festa

On February 16,  the legislature's Public Health Committee conducted a public hearing on two bills, S.B. 568 and H.B. 6423, both of which would eliminate the religious exemption to mandatory vaccinations for Connecticut schoolchildren.  The hearing was capped at 24 hours, depriving nearly 1,500 members of the public who had registered for the hearing their opportunity to be heard.  The vast majority of those who did testify, and who submitted written testimony, opposed the bill.  The committee is expected to vote on the bill as early as  today. 

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO