1. Transportation
• Upgrade I-84 from Waterbury to the New York state line, as recommended in ConnDOT’s needs assessment studies of I-84 in the Central Naugatuck Valley and Housatonic Valley regions. The next steps in the process are:
• Initiate an engineering design study of the complex I-84 and Rte 8 interchange.
• Conduct the federally-required environmental assessment of the I-84 corridor.
• Design and construct improvements for the Rte 64/Rte 63 interchange at the Middlebury-Waterbury townline.
• Transit Services — Provide adequate operating subsidies for fixed route bus service, commuter rail service, mini-bus service for the disabled (both ADA and non-ADA), and the Job Access/Reverse Commute program.
2. Regional Planning Funding
• Reinstate annual funding for Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) to the OPM portion of the state budget. For the past two years, the RPO line item was placed in the ConnDOT portion of the budget, but it is not included in next year’s budget. The funding is essential for regional planning and coordination work not related to transportation, COGCNV’s largest funding source.
3. State Aid to Municipalities
• Maintain the present level of state aid to municipalities for Education Cost Sharing, Pequot funds, Town Aid for Roads (TAR), Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP), manufacturing machinery, veterans’ benefits, etc.
4. Unfunded Mandates
• Eliminate unfunded mandates placed on municipalities.
5. Public Safety
• Support an advanced cardiac care center in the region.
• Do not prohibit paid fire fighters to serve as volunteer fire fighters in the town they live in.
• Ensure that the regional mobile data communication system for law enforcement, that has been set up in the Central Naugatuck Valley Region by COGCNV and the Capitol Region, will be able to interconnect with the state police data communication system.
6. Other
• Open Space — Maintain Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) funding for open space purchases. Encourage DEP to set priorities for water company lands up for purchase or acquisition.
• Land Use — Amend CGS Sec. 8-26a(b) to address the court decision in Poirier v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Wilton, which ruled that an approved subdivision is not subject to any future changes in zoning regulations or zoning district boundaries. The CT Chapter of the American Planning Association recommends limiting the exemption to a period of ten years.
• Smart Growth — Support the recommendations of the smart growth portion of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Property Tax and Smart Growth. The recommendations are solid, initial steps for improving land use planning in Connecticut.
• Greenway/Bikeways — Proceed with extension of the state-designated Naugatuck River Greenway by conducting a design study and pilot for the greenway from Beacon Falls to Thomaston when funding is available.
• Environmental and Economic Development — Maintain funding for brownfield remediation. Continue the Small Town Economic Assistance Program when funding is available.
• Keep grant formulas consistent from year to year and notify municipalities early in the local budget-making process if major changes are planned. The state must not renege on program funding commitments — municipalities become reluctant to participate in new programs when local officials see that the state withdraws support from previous initiatives.
Approved by COGCNV Executive Committee on 1/7/04
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