by | Feb 27, 2018 8:41 am | Comments (10)
Christopher Peak Photo
James Jeffrey reads about the end of Mauro-Sheridan’s after-school programs.
After weeks of deriding the idea of asking for a $10 million budget increase, the Board of Education voted to send that request to the mayor anyway, without putting a contingency plan in place for making cuts.
by | Feb 22, 2018 6:22 pm | Comments (9)
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School board members Darnell Goldson, Jamell Cotto and Frank Redente fire questions.
The cash-strapped Board of Ed held off on renewing 11 facilities contracts that would make a major dent in next year’s budget, while it recommended OKing a consultant contract that nicks into this year’s already-overdrawn budget.
by | Feb 13, 2018 9:22 am | Comments (18)
Christopher Peak Photo
Toni Harp: We can’t tax our way out of this.
Expressing a willingness to make tough decisions, the Board of Education voted for staff to come up with $10 million in possible cuts for next year — even if that means closing schools.
by | Feb 6, 2018 3:00 pm | Comments (17)
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BOE’s Darnell Goldson, Frank Redente, Jamell Cotto at briefing.
The Board of Education will likely request a $10 million dollar budget increase from the city — a bump that reflects the challenge of maintaining current services with diminished revenue.
by | Jan 19, 2018 2:06 pm | Comments (26)
Christopher Peak Photo
Ribeiro, Harp, Cousin at pension vote.
A quest to better fund city cop and firefighter pensions collided with a quest to hire more female and minority-owned investment firms, putting two unrelated issues on the same table.
by | Dec 6, 2017 1:13 pm | Comments (28)
Thomas Breen photo
Alders prez Walker-Myers breaks news to neighbors Tuesday night.
New Haveners will receive a slightly higher mid-year car tax bill in January 2018 as the city looks to stay within budget without cutting social services, in the face of reduced state aid.
by | Aug 21, 2017 8:10 am | Comments (10)
New Haven has three extra months to catch its breath as the state continues to try to pass a budget.
Continue reading ‘Harp: State Coming Through With School $$$’
by | Jul 31, 2017 1:04 pm | Comments (11)
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Mayor Toni Harp.
Mayor Toni Harp has instructed city department heads to come up with plans to slash spending in order to avoid tax hikes in the event the state can’t pass a new budget by September.
by | Jul 11, 2017 8:30 am | Comments (3)
Thomas Breen Photo
Clerkin at a June City Hall meeting.
Joe Clerkin announced that he’s leaving the city, while attending to a final piece of business — helping to shepherd through approval of two more municipal labor contracts.
by | Jun 27, 2017 8:21 am | Comments (15)
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Paolillo: Leading the charge.
The Board of Alders handed the Harp administration a resounding defeat Monday night, voting 25 – 0 to override mayoral vetoes of policy amendments of the new city budget that takes effect Saturday.
by | Jun 25, 2017 3:42 pm | Comments (8)
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Mayor Toni Harp.
A showdown looms between the Mayor Toni Harp and the Board of Alders, with the mayor vetoing portions of the legislature’s final version of the city budget.
by | Jun 15, 2017 8:14 am | Comments (11)
DANIELA BRIGHENTI PHOTO
High-schoolers help prepare the Escape before work stopped.
A new report estimates that it could cost about $185,000 to finish work on the overdue teen Escape Center and that the city might have some grounds to renegotiate its lease and find new uses for space that will soon be vacated by a senior center.
by | Jun 14, 2017 7:44 am | Comments (5)
Markeshia Ricks Photo
State Senate votes displayed on the final night of the regular session.
Mayor Toni Harp sent a message to state lawmakers struggling to pass a new budget: If they bail out near-bankrupt Hartford, they shouldn’t endanger New Haven’s finances in the process and punish the city for having been more fiscally responsible.
Continue reading ‘Harp To State: Don’t Bail Out Hartford At New Haven’s Expense’
by | Jun 6, 2017 12:56 pm | Comments (13)
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Anna Festa, who limited open-ended new Tennis Open money.
The Board of Alders gave final passage to a new city budget that shaves another $2.4 million off Mayor Toni Harp’s original proposal — and acknowledged that what happens in Hartford might force more cuts mid-year.
by | May 18, 2017 7:50 am | Comments (15)
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Board President Tyisha Walker: tennis tourney brings jobs.
Mayor Toni Harp’s proposed new city budget shrank by more than $13.2 million Wednesday night, and may shrink more by the time it gets final approval.
by | May 16, 2017 12:39 pm | Comments (6)
Lucy Gellman Photo
Harp Monday at a Chinese restaurant ribbon-cutting on Orange Street.
In the wake of a last-minute $1.9 million cut in state aid, Mayor Toni Harp Monday announced a “hard freeze” on city spending through the last six weeks of the fiscal year.
by | May 15, 2017 3:20 pm | Comments (6)
Markeshia Ricks Photos
Westvilians make their top picks.
Before Westville and West Hills neighbors decided on how to spend an annual allotment of $10,000 from the city, they asked themselves a bigger question: Should they even accept the money?
by | May 9, 2017 7:43 am | Comments (6)
Thomas Breen photo
Alders at Monday night’s budget hearing at City Hall.
Weeks before the city has to finalize and approve a new fiscal year budget, a handful of government watchdogs expressed their deep concerns that the proposed budget relies too much on expected aid from a state on the brink of financial disaster.
Continue reading ‘Budget Critics Warn Against Reliance On Struggling State’
by | May 9, 2017 7:38 am | Comments (4)
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Harp: Prepare, but don’t tip hand.
The state’s latest budget crisis has New Haven Mayor Toni Harp preparing for a local hit — but she’s determined not to tip the city’s hand.
by | Apr 24, 2017 12:29 pm | Comments (4)
Fire union web campaign against Engine 9 plan.
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Chief John Alston Jr. testifies at City Hall.
A plan to remove Engine 9 from the Ellsworth Avenue firehouse is dead, but the new fire chief has other plans to beef up the department’s response to medical calls, restructure its organization, and save the city money.
by | Apr 21, 2017 12:08 pm | Comments (16)
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Interim Police Chief Anthony Campbell and Assistant Chief Ontoniel Reyes pitch their budget to alders.
Top city cop Anthony Campbell came to City Hall bearing an apology as well as some good news about the police department’s budget.
by | Apr 10, 2017 1:51 pm | Comments (2)
Thomas Breen photo
Briscoe testifies.
The city department that handles 911 calls is looking to upgrade a critical component of its communications technology to ensure that notifications sent to the fire department are appearing in a timely and accurate manner.
Continue reading ‘First Responders Seek A Clearer Connection’
by | Apr 7, 2017 1:28 pm | Comments (8)
Thomas Breen file photo
Edgewood basketball court, among those slated for resealing.
Carone, Bombero, and Dixon detail projects at hearing.
New Haven basketball players can look forward to smoother surfaces and clearer three-point lines at courts throughout the city. Wooster Square will be better lit at night. And more security cameras may pop up in city parks.
Continue reading ‘Lights, Cameras ... Action! Eyed For Parks’
by | Apr 5, 2017 4:56 pm | Comments (8)
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Mason: State cuts are coming.
New Haven Works has placed its 1,000th Elm City resident into a job — but may have trouble continuing that work in the face of proposed budget cuts.
by | Mar 31, 2017 10:21 am | Comments (13)
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Jefferson at Thursday’s public hearing.
The former director of the city’s Commission on Equal Opportunity (CEO) blasted the new director’s efforts to get that office back monitoring contractors and his failure to hold monthly meetings with the board members who oversee his work.