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Commissioners Muzzled on Budget Questions

Chion Wolf
The Malloy administration is dealing with multiple budget deficits in the current fiscal year and each of the next two years.

Legislators are complaining that they’re being stopped from getting advice from departmental commissioners as they attempt to formulate a budget.

A memo from Governor Dannel Malloy’s budget chief, Ben Barnes, told agency heads that they can provide only facts and data to legislators. They may not express opinions about the best way to achieve cuts. 

Commissioners are told to refer all questions about alternative cuts or new ideas to the Office of Policy and Management, which is headed by Barnes. The Connecticut Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf spoke toWNPR’sWhere We Live that about the approach.

"That's new; that's unprecedented," Phaneuf said. "The legislature has always been able to go to department heads and ask them for their opinion on things... They were allowed to say, 'Yeah, this add-back would help; this one wouldn't.' They can't say that this year."

The Malloy administration is dealing with multiple budget deficits in the current fiscal year and each of the next two years. Phaneuf said that reality is about to bite for the governor and the legislature in closing this year’s gap.

"You're into the fourth quarter," Phaneuf said. "Almost all the money is spent in the second and third quarters. So the money's out the door -- it's gone. The only way to close a deficit of that size with cuts is to renege on a huge amount of municipal aid, or to basically gut money for higher education, and even that -- I think most of it's out the door."

Phaneuf said he believes the legislature will have to resort to new taxes to solve the longer-term budget issues.

Harriet Jones is Managing Editor for Connecticut Public Radio, overseeing the coverage of daily stories from our busy newsroom.

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