Suffield First Selectman Appeals Governor's Budget Cut Plan

SUFFIELD, CT — First Selectman Melissa M. Mack has appealed to Gov. Dannel Malloy to reconsider his most recent proposed budget cuts, which will affect Suffield greatly.

Malloy announced last week he would be cutting an additional $19.4 million dollars from municipalities in fiscal year 2016-17. Those cuts included taking $943,412 from Suffield’s budget.

Suffield's reduction represents 7.5 percent of the total dollars awarded in state grants to the town and is the fifth largest reduction across the state, behind Hartford (0.75 percent of total state grants), Bridgeport (0.9 percent), New Haven (0.8 percent) and Waterbury (0.6 percent).

In a letter to the governor, Mack pointed out how disproportionately burdensome the cuts would be on Suffield.

“Suffield has approximately 13,000 residents. This means that 0.3 percent of the state’s population is bearing nearly 5 percent of the total proposed cut. This is not shared sacrifice and I would ask that you reconsider,” Mack wrote

Mack called the cuts “virtually impossible to address” as “there simply is not an extra million dollars to which we can turn to absorb this unexpected reduction.”

A copy of the letter, which went to Suffield’s representatives and the House and Senate leadership, is below.

Patch file photo