Municipal leaders are reacting to Governor Malloy's new budget proposal, which includes eliminating Education Cost Sharing grant money to several Greater Danbury area towns.  State Senator Toni Boucher left a message for the leaders of the towns in her district.  She said that it wasn't fair to those communities to have to come up with money for a multi-million dollar shortfall, and that the legislature would reassess everything and take another shot at it. 

Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi doesn't see doom and gloom at this point because several more approvals would be needed for the proposal to take effect.

As a Democrat, Marconi says he hopes his fellow Democrats work with Republicans to come up with something both sides can agree to.  He notes that Connecticut elects everyone to go to Hartford to do the job for the people, not for the party.

State budget deficits have been plaguing the state for many years.  The next fiscal year is projected to have a more than $922 million deficit.  Marconi says municipalities addressed shrinking revenue streams in 2010 by right sizing budgets, but the state never did that.  He says that's why it's snowballed into a major issue.

Marconi says the Appropriations Committee rejected the Governor's proposal and will be reconvening to begin another round of negotiations to erase nearly a billion dollars of red ink.  The General Assembly is set to adjourn May 4th.