OFA to Battling Budgeteers in Oz: “These Things are Delicate, My Little Pretty…”

Back at the start of this never-ending year of budget haggling, the nonpartisan legislative Office of Fiscal Analysis correctly pegged the two-year fiscal deficit at about $8.8 billion. So they’re not exactly the Wicked Witch of the West side of the Capitol complex today, when they’ve noticed that Gov. Jodi Rell’s newest proposed budget, in which she agreed to a so-called millionaire’s tax on joint incomes of more than $500K, is out of balance by $370 million. Add that to the $520 million in spending cuts she wants Democrats to find and we’re walking along the Yellow Brick Road in search of $900 million. I see Speaker of the House Chris Donovan as the Scarecrow, Senate President Don Williams as the Tin Man, House Majority Leader Denise Merrill as Dorothy, Rep, John Geragosian, the first-term Appriopriations chairman as the Cowardly Lion, Gov. Rell as the Wizard of Oz, and House Minority Leader Larry Cafero and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney as the palace guards with the big fuzzy hats. The Capitol Press Corps could be the Flying Monkeys and Senate Democrats could be the fruit-slinging apple orchard. The sands of the hour glass are running down to Monday midnight, when the third consecutive month without a new budget will begin. It should create an atmosphere of expedience and drama for that Monday, August 31 special-session day. Any candidates for the Wicked Witch?

 Rell’s budget office this morning is disagreeing with the OFA figures, by the way.

By early afternoon, Rell issued the following statement:

“I offered a compromise budget yesterday because I am committed to getting a budget in place by September 1st.  The State of Connecticut needs a budget, the ingredients of a budget agreement are

now in place — and all that remains is the willingness of the Democrats to cut spending and get the job done.

 

If there is a disagreement on the budget calculations between the legislature’s Office of Fiscal Analysis and the Office of Policy and Management, then we will address it and identify a number we can all agree upon.  I am hoping that agreement can occur as early as this afternoon and that discussions on spending cuts will also begin this afternoon.”