The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), the statewide association of towns and cities, on Thursday, Sept.17, will began airing a radio spot across the state that calls on the Governor and General Assembly to enact CCM's Unfinished Municipal Relief Agenda when the General Assembly meets in special session on September 23 and 24.

"Despite the efforts of the Governor and state legislators to make municipal aid a state budget priority, the combination of aid reductions, negligible grand list growth and increasing education costs has made this fiscal year tough at the local level as well," said CCM Executive Director and CEO Jim Finley. "Cities and towns have cutback services, laid off employees, and grudgingly raised already too-high property taxes. Moreover, there is a strong possibility of more budget troubles for Hometown Connecticut over the next several years."

"Fortunately, the State has an opportunity to further help towns and cities as it puts together the state bond package and drafts budget implementation bills," Finley noted "The State can do this by enacting the Unfinished Municipal Relief Agenda. This Agenda will help provide property tax relief this year and for years to come." (complete details of CCM's Unfinished Municipal Relief Agenda).

Here is the text of the ad:

Despite the passage of a new state budget, the Governor and state legislators have more work to do.

They can still do more to help towns and cities.

Call your state legislators today. Urge them to:

• Pass a state bond package that adequately funds aid for local roads and bridges and school construction grants
• Enact real mandates relief, which will cost the State nothing. At a minimum, the General Assembly should delay implementation of in-school suspension requirements, and the "raise-the- age" juvenile justice mandate.
• Make permanent the present rates of the municipal real estate conveyance tax. That will protect over $30 million in non-property tax revenue, without costing the State a dime.

Property taxpayers and towns and cities are hurting.

Tell legislators it's time to provide relief to Hometown Connecticut. Urge them to pass the Unfinished Municipal Relief Agenda.

Sponsored by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities - the voice of local government.

On September 17 and 18 and Sept 21,22 and 23, this radio spot will be airing during morning and afternoon drive times on Hartford based WTIC-AM radio (the largest news radio station in Connecticut).

The same ad is also airing on same days throughout the day on nearly 20 radio stations located throughout the state that are affiliated with the Connecticut Radio Network. These stations include: WICC-AM in Bridgeport; WELI-AM in New Haven; WATR-AM in Waterbury; WSTC-AM in Stamford; WDRC-AM, WMMW-AM, and WWCO-AM in Hartford; WLAD-AM, WINE-AM and WDAQ-FM in Danbury; WZBG-FM in Litchfield; WICH-AM and WMOS-FM in New London; WSNG-AM in Torrington WILI-AM and WMRD-AM in Windham; and WINY-AM in Putnam.