Senator Leonard Fasano
Legislative Office Building
300 Capitol Avenue – Room #3402
Hartford, CT 06106
October 19, 2018
Dear Senator Fasano,
I received your letter, dated October 17, 2018, asking for a forensic audit of New Haven’s budget. Curiously, I received it after news reporters asked for a response to it, suggesting they received it first.
That aside, I’m pleased you’ve decided to take an active interest in New Haven’s affairs, and I welcome what I’d like to think is your intention to serve as an honorary state Senator representing New Haven. To start, so you’ll have an accurate and complete picture of New Haven’s financial opportunities and challenges, I’ll be happy to arrange a time for my team to provide you with the facts about all it takes to run what is arguably Connecticut’s most successful city in an era of state funding cutbacks.
Please schedule a phone call or visit to my office. Clearly, since you seem intent on helping, we should begin by ensuring you receive all the facts, rather than simply relying on supposition and a couple news articles.
Regarding your specific request, if you’d sincerely like to join Senators Looney and Winfield as an honorary New Haven Senator, I’m prepared to consider your request for a forensic audit as a courtesy if you, in return, are prepared to demonstrate your willingness to help my city with the following acts of good faith:
• Introduce, and shepherd through the legislature in 2019, a 2% commuter tax, to compensate New Haven for covering the costs to provide assorted regional services to North Haven residents, from the use of transportation infrastructure to the public safety, emergency, and other public services North Haven residents use when they work, eat, shop, and otherwise visit New Haven.
• Formally request that North Haven public officials implement affordable housing projects beyond the 10% requirement under CGS 8-30g and introduce legislation at the general assembly to ensure it happens – with applicable penalties moving forward if it is not accomplished.
• Ask the North Haven First Selectman and Board of Selectmen to support budget allocations from North Haven to the City of New Haven for social and human services provided to the town’s residents on a daily basis: i.e. ask North Haven to contribute $250k to New Haven’s homeless services budget, $250k to New Haven’s public health services budget, and $250k for the city’s re-entry programs.
• Introduce and shepherd legislation through the General Assembly requiring the Town of North Haven to forward ECS monies as appropriate as tuition for all North Haven students attending New Haven Schools. In addition, this legislation should include a count of all suburban students so New Haven can recoup education monies from other feeder towns for all their students and have the appropriate resources to serve all students in city schools.
Since I understand you will need North Haven’s First Selectmen and other town officials to assist you while making these improvements to the benefit of our respective municipalities, I have copied them with this letter and look forward to their support of New Haven’s expanded Senate delegation for the betterment of the City of New Haven.
Sincerely,
Toni N. Harp
Mayor – City of New Haven
p.s. Once you’ve completed these items, I trust you to find the money among state funds to pay for the forensic audit you requested.
cc: Michael J. Freda – North Haven First Selectman
William J. Pieper – North Haven Second Selectman
Sally J. Buemi – North Haven Third Selectman
