Connecticut is one of only a few states that don't have county government, the idea of sharing services among towns and cities under on government umbrella.
Soundbites between Gov. Dannel Malloy and city and town association officials won't lead to counties, but it may lead to saving taxpayers money.
"I don't think creating another form of government will save anyone money but we're always looking out for ways to help the local taxpayer," said Joe DeLong, the Executive Director of the 150 member Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the lobbying arm of cities and towns across the state.
DeLong said many cities and towns have already explored ways to save money through public works and some public safety initiatives and are willing to look at more options.
“Our members are all about creating efficiencies," DeLong said. "We just want to be at the table, a part of that discussion and we think as long as we can continue to be a part of that dialogue we all can deliver better services to the taxpayer.”
Gov. Dannel Malloy, who served as Mayor of Stamford for 14 years before winning the governor's seat, said cities and towns are missing opportunities to save money in obvious places.
He recommends sharing services for things like special education and health districts. In addition, dispatch for first responders should be done at a larger level.
"If New York City City could have a single dispatch for eight million people, we probably can have one that’s bigger than six square miles and seven thousand people. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense" he said.
Malloy said with his vision for reining in spending in Connecticut to reach levels he believes to be more consistent with economic conditions, municipal aid will be part of that, and he urges them to lead the way in consolidating for the sake of taxpayers.
“We’re just not going to be able to keep up with the local government expectation of contribution" he said.
As for DeLong, he had a rather contentious end to the 2015 legislative session with top lawmakers. He got into public disagreements over municipal spending and unfunded mandates for cities and towns. DeLong said he's ready for a fresh start in 2016.
“We’re not going into the state of the state address or after the address already drawing those lines in the sand. We think this is a time for optimism, a time for discussion. Connecticut has a lot of challenges and there’s no doubting that but we also think that there’s a lot of opportunity there.”
