New Haven Independent

After months of high stakes squabbling with the executive branch, the state Senate, and then the House of Representatives passed Emergency Bill SB-1502, the bond authorization act. The one negative vote in the House was cast by a Democrat.

Ordinarily - if there is such a thing - budget action would be completed by the first Wednesday in June.

Aside from the dollars for school construction projects already approved in regular session, the bill also authorizes reimbursement to towns for unanticipated interest costs due to delayed adoption of the bond bill. New Haven’s costs exceeded $200,000.

Other highlights:

• $2 million fund for grants to homeowners in the Beverly Hills neighborhood of New Haven, and in Woodbridge, in the vicinity of the West River, to repair structural damage.

• $1 million to New Haven for improvements in Morris Cove drainage.

• $2.8 million to New Haven for River Street Development project.

• A major commitment to Southern Connecticut University. Various improvements in the upcoming budget, with an additional capital program commencing in the next budget.

In addition to bonding, there have been several requests from readers for accurate information about state funding to the city of New Haven. The state nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) is compiling the numbers, for larger spending categories, and their report will be posted when it is ready.

(Click here for Dillon’s previous blog entry on this subject.)

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