Looks Like It's "Plan B" Time

AP is reporting that the state employee union concession deal has been struck down after a union representing prison workers voted against it Friday. 

Original Story

Just when state lawmakers thought they were out...they got pulled back in. 

On Thursday afternoon Gov. Dannel Malloy called Connecticut legislators back from summer break for a special session the following Thursday, June 30, to vote on a revised budget plan, now that it appears a concession deal with state unions is doomed.

“It was always my hope that the SEBAC Agreement would be ratified and we could move forward with the process of getting our state’s fiscal house in order and creating new jobs,” said Malloy in a press statement. "But that looks increasingly unlikely."

The deal, which would freeze wages and lower pensions but guarantee job security for four years for state employees, would have made up for a nearly $1.6 billion deficit in the state's 2-year budget, administration officials say.

Union employees have through Friday to vote on the deal, but early results show that it's unlikely the measure will pass. 

The administration's revised two-year budget will likely include immediate mass layoffs, and in the second year, cuts in funding for cities and towns, Malloy said at an event at the University of Hartford Thursday, the Connecticut Mirror reports.

"I am loathe to make the decisions facing us at this juncture – including layoffs, programmatic and municipal aid cuts – but I am left with no choice," Malloy said in a press statement. The Governor has said he will not raise taxes further to cover the gap. "Working with the legislature, we will have a balanced budget and one that, while making painful cuts and difficult decisions, will be balanced honestly without tricks or gimmicks.”

Berlin's tax bills will go out on June 30th as they have for the past 20-plus years. Holding back on those tax bills depending on what happens in Hartford has not been discussed.

"We've been in discussion and have some ideas what we will do but I'm not sure how it would work legally because of our charter and the fact the budget has already been passed," Berlin Town Manager Denise McNair said. "This is uncharted territory so I'm not sure what we would do.

"We might have to add a supplemental billing if the mill rate goes up but it would be so much work, not for the town but legally to understand how we can do it. (Mayor) Adam (Salina) has been keeping us calm but we still have to start thinking about a plan. and we're a small town. I can't imagine what a city like Hartford or even Meriden is thinking at this point."

Check in for updates on its impact on Berlin and more reaction from local officials.