The $305.4 million in overtime that departments spent last fiscal year is nearly 50% higher than the $204.4 million bill they ran up in 2017.
Keith M. Phaneuf
Keith has spent most of his 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. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Prior to joining CT Mirror Keith was State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, a reporter for the Day of New London, and a former contributing writer to The New York Times. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.
Posted inMoney
United Way: A family of four needs $126,000 a year to survive in CT
A new report shows that basic needs for a family of four in Connecticut are about four times the federal poverty level of $30,000.
Posted inMoney
CT poised to take another huge chunk out of pension debt
The payment into CT’s cash-starved funds will raise total supplemental payments into those funds to nearly $7.7 billion in only four years.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT’s heating assistance program is short on cash, but it’s not alone
The fate of the CT Energy Assistance Program also could hinge on whether the state has enough funds to cover other pressing needs.
Posted inGovernment
CT trying to stave off federal unemployment tax hike in January
CT businesses are asking state officials to ensure the feds don’t increase their taxes by bolstering the unemployment fund before November.
Posted inMoney
Senate leader supports 5-year phase-in for CT child tax credit
A CT child tax credit has a better chance of becoming real now that CT’s highest-ranking state senator offered an alternate route this week.
Posted inMoney
CT may not be done cutting income taxes yet
Advocates seeking an ongoing child tax credit have fallen shy of their goal over the past two years but say their support base has grown.
Posted inEspañol
¿Cómo se gravan las ganancias de jubilación en CT?
Aquí hay una guía actualizada que describe las exenciones de impuestos actuales de Connecticut sobre los ingresos de jubilación.
Posted inMoney
Do taxes make people leave CT? Policy group says not so much
High housing costs and low investments in education, transportation and other core services could make CT less attractive than high taxes do.
Posted inMoney
Is CT’s sales tax holiday real relief — or just a gimmick?
Sales tax holidays are too limited to provide any meaningful tax reform, according to a new analysis from a progressive policy group.
Posted inMoney
How does CT tax retirement earnings? Here’s what to know
A new CT tax cut package expanded existing exemptions and other tax breaks for retiring income, involving pensions, annuities and IRAs.
Posted inMoney
Winter heating assistance in CT projected to plummet
Connecticut families on emergency heating assistance could get nearly $1,000 less in government aid this winter without more state support.
Posted inMoney
As CT patches one hole in social safety net, are others developing?
CT legislators said they will study whether most services are shrinking even as programs for people with developmental disabilities expand.
Posted inMoney
CT to take a deeper look at whether state taxes are fair
CT’s first tax analysis in 2014 found the poorest households paid three times the share of their incomes in taxes than the wealthiest did.
Posted inMoney
Is CT an ‘emerging bright spot’? This national group thinks so
While CT limited tax relief to the poor and middle class, most states did not, according to a report from a Washington, D.C. policy group.