The heads of state government’s nine watchdog agencies referred three finalists Monday to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to become executive director of the new Office of Governmental Accountability — including one candidate who’s prepared to take no salary. The Governmental Accountability Commission voted unanimously following a 50-minute closed-door debate to recommend: former Freedom of Information […]

The leader of Connecticut’s right-to-know agency for three decades, who called Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plan to merge nine watchdog groups “a disaster” when it was proposed, is one of five finalists to head the unified Office of Governmental Accountability. Mitchell W. Pearlman, who retired in 2005 after 30 years with the Freedom of Information […]

The state’s bipartisan auditors warned this week that technical issues with state government’s core financial computer network “represent a significant problem” for the conversion to a more transparent and accountable budgeting system, but Comptroller Kevin Lembo said the issues are “fixable.” Auditors John C. Geragosian and Robert M. Ward also warned that the failure to […]

EAST HARTFORD–Gov. Dannel P. Malloy declined to say Wednesday whether he would consider layoffs only to cover the cost of raises for unionized workers who refuse a wage freeze, or to help fill other holes in the state budget. “I prefer to hope that they are all going to pass the agreement and that that’s […]

An estimated 158 state employees out of 3,008 that have received layoff notices to date already have been separated from their jobs, and that separation total is likely to approach 600 before unionized workers finish their second vote on concessions, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office reported Wednesday. And while the administration continues to make plans […]

As state employee unions reconsider the failed concession package, the stakes are much higher this time around for nearly 40 percent of the state’s unionized workers who belong to bargaining units that voted against the wage freeze sought by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Malloy hasn’t said what he’d do if the new concession deal passes […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the legislature may be struggling to balance the budget in the face of uncertain union concessions, but they’ve made considerable headway in attacking $1.8 billion in debts their predecessors authorized to keep operations afloat in their last year in office. According to the Office of Policy and Management, the projected […]

The administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced a new tentative concession agreement at 10:04 p.m. Friday, setting the stage for another attempt by a coalition of state employee unions to ratify a deal that could stave off mass layoffs and deep budget cuts. “I am pleased that an agreement has been reached,” Malloy said […]

Connecticut shoppers might need to bring cheat sheets with them for the rest of the summer as they struggle to adjust to nearly two dozen changes in state sales tax law that took effect this month. And while some of those sales tax changes – such as raising the base rate from 6 to 6.35 […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s new budget-balancing plan tested several of his political promises, shifting spending onto the state’s credit card, ordering fare increases that one transit advocate called a “hidden tax hike,” and using a one-time subsidy savings from last year’s budget to cover ongoing costs in the current one. Malloy’s budget chief, Office of […]

Though Gov. Dannel P. Malloy remains optimistic that a concession agreement again will be presented to state employee unions, the administration is proceeding with layoff plans, having notified over 1,850 employees to date, a top administration official said Wednesday. Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy’s senior adviser, also said the governor anticipates talks begun this week to clarify […]

While the Executive and Judicial branches announced plans last week to eliminate over 6,660 jobs in response to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget plan, the Legislative Branch was quiet about how it would meet $22 million in savings targets over this fiscal year and next. But the head of the Office of Legislative Management said […]

State employee union leadership voted today to ease the rules for ratifying contract concessions, clearing the way for the unions and the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to reach a new deal to avoid mass layoffs and deep budget cuts. Simple majorities now will be required for ratification: eight of 15 unions must vote […]

The governing boards of Connecticut’s higher education institutions–one of which doesn’t even exist yet–will face difficult choices and some severe limitations in trying to cope with nearly $59 million in cuts this year under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s new budget-balancing plan. The administration recommended 779 layoffs to offset that loss–as well as $61.8 million cut […]

Though Gov. Dannel P. Malloy kept a pledge not to reduce the $1.9 billion Education Cost Sharing program that provides school aid to towns, his budget-cutting plan slashes funding for other education programs, including the state’s technical high school system. That system would trim nearly $13 million this year — shutting  down adult education programs, eliminating more than 100 jobs, and […]