Concerns are being raised by Connecticut's municipal leaders about the lack of state borrowing authorizations.  They note the slowdown has affected local repaving and other transportation-related projects.  Lawmakers have yet to finalize the general bonding portion of the state budget.

The state releases Town Aid Road funds in two payments; one in July and one in January.  To date, the state has not disbursed these funds to Connecticut municipalities. This funding was included in the Governor’s budget and approved by the legislature. Redding First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton says the delay is a real problem for municipalities relying on the funding to supplement their operating budgets.

The State Bond Commission, which ultimately doles out the capital funding, has met twice since Governor Lamont took office in January.  The meeting set for Friday has been cancelled.  No meetings have been scheduled yet for the rest of the year.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities notes that cities and towns are reliant on the state funds and are being forced to cover the cost of repaving and other projects.

A spokesman for the governor says the Bond Commission can release previous unspent allocations for projects without a new bond package in place.