At least things haven’t gotten much worse. State Comptroller Nancy Wyman reported Monday that the state budget deficit for this fiscal year has inched downward by $3.4 million over the past month, reaching $518.4 million. The $18.64 billion budget, which has been plagued by monthly deficit forecasts close to $500 million since October, continues to […]
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.
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Rell would strip next budget to balance this one
Gov. M. Jodi Rell proposed stripping nearly $220 million in revenue from the next state budget Monday to help close a $500 million-plus shortfall in the current one. But the $18.93 billion budget approved last fall for 2010-11 has a $726 million deficit of its own, according to legislative analysts. And though the governor’s proposal […]
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From millionaires to lottery players, everybody’s a revenue target when the state is in the red
Fed up with telemarketing calls? The next one could help Connecticut pay its bills. Looking to buy a used gun? The state might get in the business of selling weapons seized by the police. And if you’re not paying your fair share of taxes-at least in the state’s view-lots of folks in Hartford are thinking […]
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Committee to consider bill to block rate cuts for mentally retarded
A state legislative panel agreed this week to consider a bill that would bar a controversial funding cut for work and social programs for the mentally retarded. The Human Services Committee raised a bill that would block the reduction until after Jan. 1, 2011, when a new group studying program rates is scheduled to report […]
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Committee hears testimony on Judicial Branch cuts
The state’s Judicial Branch either is at risk of losing its independence due to crippling budget cuts, or wants to be handled with fiscal kid gloves, depending on who was offering testimony Friday before a state legislative panel. Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s budget director urged the Judiciary Committee to reject a measure that would restore […]
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Non-profits feel the pain of Rell spending cuts
When they adopted a budget in September, state legislators and Gov. M. Jodi Rell balanced the books-at least on paper-by assuming an unprecedented level of savings to be achieved later. For Connecticut’s nonprofit social services industry and the clients they serve, later has arrived. These providers are accusing Rell’s administration of testing the spirit — […]
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Towns say state has reneged on road repair money
Cities and towns clamored Tuesday for state road maintenance grants they’ve been awaiting since July, warning that projects could be deferred or canceled unless the $30 million Town Aid Road program is launched before the spring construction season begins in a few weeks The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the New Haven-based lobbying arm for the […]
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As deficit deadline nears, is budget ‘raid’ an option?
There’s a $515 million hole in this year’s budget, and four months left in which to fill it. The question now percolating around the Capitol is, will Gov. M. Jodi Rell try to raid next year’s budget to plug the gap? It’s not a new idea: Since Rell and the legislature’s Democratic majority deadlocked on […]
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Fuel tax diversion clouds toll debate
Along with concerns about technology, traffic jams, enforcement and lost federal grants, a new question is popping up in the debate over whether to restore tolls to Connecticut’s highways. Gubernatorial candidates, legislators and transportation advocates point to a series of controversial fuel tax hikes ordered five years ago, and the hundreds of millions of dollars […]
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Cutting it all, from beach sand to opera
One of the incumbents’ perks in a legislative election year, bragging on state funds won for pet projects in the district, is getting turned on its head this year. Gov. M. Jodi Rell is asking legislators not only to hold off on new earmarks, but also to cancel projects that they have touted–but not yet […]
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Local projects threatened as state hits credit limit
One of the incumbents’ perks in a legislative election year, bragging on state funds won for pet projects in the district, is getting turned on its head this year. Gov. M. Jodi Rell is asking legislators not only to hold off on new earmarks, but also to cancel projects that they have touted–but not yet […]