The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities was disappointed last week when Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell didn’t put $30 million in municipal road improvement funds on the state Bond Commission agenda.
CCM, the largest lobbying group for cities and towns, said the continuing delay has caused towns, large and small, to put off needed road and bridge repairs.
The group said half of the money was supposed to be delivered in July of 2009 and the rest in January. Now neither payment has been made.
“CCM urges state leaders to provide the promised funding as soon as possible,” Jim Finley, executive director and CEO of CCM, said. “Failure to do so will have a negative impact on every local budget in the state. Beyond that, the condition of local roads and bridges will worsen and the price tag for repairs will increase.”
This is the first budget year that local road improvement funds, also known as Town Aid Road, has been borrowed by the state. In the past the state allocated the money through the state budget.
Rell’s spokesman said last week that this is a commitment she will meet and that she will consider including these funds on the next bond agenda.
Click here to see how much your town was supposed to receive.
