PROPERTY TAX REFORM, PUBLIC SAFETY AND EDUCATION HEAD MAYOR’S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

 

---NEWS RELEASE---

 

(December 21, 2006)--- Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez met yesterday with members of Hartford’s Legislative delegation to the General Assembly to lay out his legislative agenda for the coming year.  A top priority for the Mayor will be property tax reform and enhanced resources for municipal public safety and education.

 

“The need for property tax reform is a pressing issue and the voters sent that message loud and clear this past November.  Working families in Hartford and across the state are looking for real solutions to a property tax crisis that is fueling sprawl and making it harder for communities to provide the level of services their residents expect.  By proposing a substantial tax credit for all Connecticut taxpayers and an enhanced credit for those living in communities with homeownership rates below 50%, I hope that we will make real property tax reform a reality,” Mayor Perez stated.

 

The Mayor goes on to say, “I have also asked the Legislature for an increase of $15.5 million in municipal aid to Hartford for next year to support public safety and education.  This increase will bring us back to the level of state aid Hartford received in 2001, adjusted for inflation.  While the state budget has increased dramatically over the past five years, municipal aid to Hartford has not even kept pace with inflation.  Yesterday, I reinforced the need for our delegation to ensure Hartford gets its fair share of state resources to educate our children and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

 

Other legislative priorities include:

 

Funding to upgrade Hartford’s Flood Control System:  Once again the city is asking for the state to provide $30 million to assist with upgrading and repairing its 70-year-old flood control/levee system.  Last year, Governor Rell proposed $15 million in bonding at the Mayor’s request for this effort. The Legislature removed this support from the final budget.

 

Funding for the Public Safety Complex, Westbrook/Bowles, Kelvin Anderson Center and South End Park Improvements:  The city is seeking $27.5 million in state bond funding to assist with the construction of the new public safety complex, repairs at the Westbrook/Bowles housing projects and the rehabilitation of recreation facilities in North and South Hartford.

 

Legislation requiring the State Department of Economic and Community Development to inform local communities when they intend to offer state financial assistance to move a business from one town to another:  This “Fair Aid” bill would require DECD to inform the CEO of a municipality of the nature of any economic incentives it intended to offer to a private company in that town to move from one Connecticut town to another.  By informing the municipal CEO of the proposed incentives, the town will have an opportunity to, if it so chooses, to negotiate with the company to retain it in town.

 

Earned Income Tax Credit and Reporting Lost or Stolen Firearms:

 The Mayor will once again push for legislation requiring the owners of lost and stolen firearms to file a report with their local police as soon as possible. This legislation will help crackdown on “straw” purchasers of firearms like those who pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Hartford.  Additionally, the Mayor will support a state Earned Income Tax Credit based on the federal program for very low-income working families.