Hartford is requesting state oversight over its finances in exchange for millions of dollars in extra state aid to help with its budget woes.
Democratic Mayor Luke Bronin petitioned Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management on Tuesday.
The request would put Hartford under the oversight of an 11-member panel with review over city borrowing, union contracts, arbitration awards and budgets. It would also allow Hartford to qualify for up to $48 million in state aid for distressed municipalities.
Ben Barnes, secretary of Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management and co-chair of the oversight board, told the Hartford Courant he expects to approve the mayor's request.
The city, which is running a $65 million deficit, would then have to submit a financial plan to the state.
"Over the past two years, in the face of unprecedented fiscal crisis and longstanding structural deficits, we have worked to achieve long-term sustainability for our Capital City, making dramatic reductions in the size and cost of City government, achieving landmark labor agreements with our Police and Firefighters, and initiating negotiations with our bondholders," Bronin wrote in a letter to Barnes.
