![]() There are problems - about $285 million in cost overruns in various agencies - but the budget began with a $400 million built-in cushion, and revenues have been strong.Īnd then there’s the volatility adjustment, a savings program that doesn’t allow the legislature to consider spending a portion of quarterly income and business tax receipts. The winter heating debate often centers on a simple question: If the state could keep many families warmer this winter by sacrificing a sliver of its budget surplus, why doesn’t it?Īccording to the January update from Lamont’s budget office, the General Fund is operating $167 million, or slightly less than 1%, in the black. ![]() “If the prices keep going up, I won’t be able to stay here.” CT could keep poor families warm with a sliver of the surplus “Eventually, you’re going to have to make a decision to sell and move somewhere else - not in the state of Connecticut,” he said. But he worries that his dream of retiring in his own home will soon be over. Except for heating aid, he’s avoided other types of public assistance, including food stamps and Medicaid. “But how is it morally or fiscally responsible to pull more funding away from critical programs that take care of our neediest residents?”Ī former private-sector social worker, Browne doesn’t get the generous pension and retiree health care benefits his state-employed counterparts enjoy. Lamont continues to tout his fiscal guardrails as what’s best for all residents,” said Norma Martinez HoSang, organizing director of Connecticut For All, a statewide coalition of more than 80 faith, labor and civic organizations. ![]() “They don’t know how hard it is to make it month-to-month.” “The scary part is the people making the decisions,” he said. But Browne and many others question whether state officials understand how many are struggling. ![]()
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