Lamont’s budget keeps commuter rail, bus service flat
John Moritz and Keith M. Phaneuf
Lamont’s budget proposes slowing the growth of the Special
Transportation Fund — the primary vehicle used to finance road and public
transit projects
Connecticut’s commuter rail and bus services will continue
running at current levels for the next year under Gov. Ned Lamont’s latest budget proposal,
which otherwise warned of an impending fiscal cliff due to loss of pandemic-era
federal funding for rail.
Lamont’s budget proposed a increase of $19.7 million for
rail and $9.4 for buses in the fiscal year beginning on July 1. That would
amount to an increase of 6% and 3%, respectively, over the current year’s
budget. The intention of the increase is to keep their operations flat, budget
officials said.
In addition, the governor proposed spending $3.5 million to
provide half-priced bus fares to students and free bus fares for veterans. That
money would be split between the Department of Transportation and the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
This year’s budget proposal does not include any increases
in the cost of a bus or rail ticket, following an overall
10% fare hike for Metro-North and CT Rail that will take effect by
July 1.
After 2027, the budget document prepared by the Office of
Policy and Management warned that roughly $45.6 million in federal pandemic
relief funds being used to subsidize CT Rail services will expire and need to
be replaced. Several of the state’s commuter rail services, including
Metro-North’s New Haven Line, have struggled
to rebound to their pre-pandemic ridership.
Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, co-chair of the
Transportation Committee, said Wednesday that she and other lawmakers planned
to push for additional funding that would allow for increased service,
including along Shore
Line East.
“I’m a firm believer that you really need to expand and
enhance public transportation in order to get ridership up to lower the
subsidies,” Cohen said. “It’s a win-win for the environment, in terms of
workforce development, and making sure we’re getting the flow of people and
things to where they need to go.”
Cohen and other Senate Democrats also filed legislation on Wednesday to provide for a
one-year extension of a microtransit pilot program that began in 2024. The
initial $19.5 million in state funding for that program is due to expire in
July.
The pilot provides on-demand rides for people in nine
different towns and transit districts. Some of those services, such as New
Haven’s Via NHV, operate
similar to private rideshares such as Uber and Lyft, but at a subsidized cost
to riders. The program is intended to boost last-mile service to and from
existing transit stations.
Lamont’s budget also proposes slowing the growth of
the Special
Transportation Fund — the primary vehicle used to finance road and
public transit projects — which represents about 10% of the overall state
budget.
The STF would grow by $114 million next fiscal year, under
the governor’s budget, pushing it to nearly $2.4 billion. But that’s still $12
million less in growth than he and the legislature originally endorsed in an
earlier draft of 2026-27 finances approved last June.
Lamont, who tried unsuccessfully to convince legislators in
2019 and 2020 to approve electronic tolling on state highways, warned in
November that Connecticut might need
to curb borrowing for highway, bridge and rail repairs.
The Special Transportation Fund pays off the principal and
interest on the infrastructure rebuilding program while subsidizing public
transit costs and operating expenses for the departments of transportation and
motor vehicles.
Connecticut, which finances most of its transportation
construction work by selling bonds on Wall Street, has issued $1.3 billion this
fiscal year, according to the state treasurer’s office. Lamont’s budget staff
projected in November, though, that transportation bond sales would drop to
$1.2 billion next fiscal year, $1.1 billion in 2027-28 and remain there through
2030.
Don Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction
Industry Association, said this approach to transportation funding “is going to
have a very fast, negative impact,” warning businesses would curtail plans to
add workers and invest in new equipment.
“When the industry sees the program slow down, they pull
back — right away,” he said.
The association has been insisting state borrowing must
exceed $1.5 billion per year if Connecticut is to cover both basic maintenance
and make the infrastructure changes necessary to improve transportation
efficiency.
Old Lyme’s Sewer Project Gets Go-Ahead Without Sound View
Charlotte Harvey
OLD LYME — The Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection announced that it would allow three private beach
associations to proceed with installing sewers, even without the town’s
cooperation.
Nearly 90 days after a Dec. 16 town
referendum overwhelmingly opposed a request for additional borrowing
to install sewers in Sound View and an adjacent neighborhood dubbed “Area B” in
the planning, the state agency informed Old Colony, Miami Beach and Old Lyme
Shores Beach Associations that they could now enter into contracts to begin the
project.
The authorizations were issued on Jan. 31, and will allow
the private beach associations to install sewer infrastructure within their
neighborhoods and a shared sewer line connecting to a New London wastewater
treatment plant.
In a statement, DEEP said that the project was expected to
start in the spring.
It’s unclear how the town intends to satisfy the state
agency without joining the project, but DEEP officials have repeatedly warned
the town that it would not be released from its responsibility to address the
high density of septic fields in Sound View.
Old Lyme is not yet the subject of a consent order — forcing
the town to act — but the state agency has said it expects to enter into
one to formalize a corrective plan.
In a statement to the CT Examiner, the agency reiterated its
position that the town needed to address pollution, and that sewers were the
most feasible solution.
“As the Town was not ready to participate in the sewer
project, the sewer project is moving forward with the three associations to
allow them to permanently address their pollution issues,” the statement read.
“The Town similarly will need to address its areas of pollution caused by
substandard and/or failing septic systems and the Department continues to
believe that connection to the sewer system is the most feasible solution.”
First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, Selectman Jim Lampos and
WPCA member Mary Daley declined to comment, preferring to speak after the next
WPCA meeting.
Selectman John Mesham sent a statement to the CT Examiner by
email stating that social media was rife with disinformation regarding the
referendum, and had misled voters.
But, he said, that vote may mean that the WPCA needed to
change strategy.
“Regardless, the vote sent a strong message of opposition to
sewers for the town portion of the project,” Mesham said. “With that in mind,
it may be time to refocus the WPCA on sewer avoidance. That could include
better monitoring of septic pump outs, mandatory inspections when pumped, use
and recognition of advancements in septic system designs, and re-testing of
groundwater sampling, something that has not taken place in many years.”
DEEP officials meanwhile said that there would still be
financial assistance should the town decide to change course.
“Through the Clean Water Fund, and for eligible project
costs, the Department would fund the Town’s aspect of the project with a 25%
grant/75% low-interest loan,” DEEP wrote in a separate statement. “The Town
also benefits from the $15 million in loan forgiveness funding directed to the
three associations, as this funding is being used to cover the shared sewer
infrastructure aspects of the project.”
The next WPCA meeting on Feb. 10 is the first since the
resignation of Steven Cianmi, a strong supporter of sewering, as chair.
He said in a call to CT Examiner that the town was making a
mistake by not cooperating.
“I think the town is missing out on a fantastic opportunity
to improve the environment down at the beaches,” Cinami said. “I think the town
is going to continue to pollute until something is done.”
CT Siting Council rejects United Illuminating’s Fairfield monopole appeal
Fairfield’s long running fight against installing tall
electrical transmission lines, known as monopoles, along the MetroNorth rail
line may be over, for now.
The Connecticut Siting Council (CSC) Thursday, rejected
United Illuminating’s (UI) application in a final decision which mirrored its
earlier decision made in October to reject a plan to install monopoles in
Fairfield and Bridgeport.
In a statement, UI immediately criticized the decision
Thursday, saying rejecting the plan would harm ratepayers. The statement read
in part:
“As long as the Siting Council continues to deny the
Fairfield to Congress Project, a critical portion of the transmission system
between Bridgeport and Fairfield will be vulnerable to both safety and
reliability risks.”
Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale praised the
decision in a press release issued shortly after the decision.
“We appreciate the Connecticut Siting Council’s thorough
review and its decision to deny UI’s application in Docket 516R,” Vitale said.
Throughout this process, our community has consistently expressed strong
concerns, and we are grateful that the voices of residents, local leaders,
religious institutions, businesses and preservationists were heard.”
Khristine Hall, a member of the CSC, said during the vote
further talks to propose an alternative could be possible.
“I am deeply disappointed that discussions among the parties
yielded no results. I hope those discussions will start again in good faith by
all parties,” Hall said. “Based on the above I will vote to deny the
certificate.”
Many residents in Bridgeport and Fairfield opposed the
original plan. They joined Bridgeport, Fairfield and local businesses in suing
the CSC over UI’s proposal. The lawsuit argued the plan threatened to seize
private land, threaten property values and negatively impact local businesses.
Opponents of the plan celebrated a victory last year when UI
was ordered to come up with an alternative plan to installing monopoles. The
company revamped its proposal, which was also rejected by the CSC late last
year.
The company appealed that decision in November, according to previous reporting from WSHU.
UI stated other proposals including installing lines
underground, could cost ratepayers at least half a billion dollars.