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Friends and Neighbors,
I hope this message finds you and yours doing well!
I wanted to bring to your attention HB 7208, An act Concerning Referenda on the Sale of Municipal Authorities or Other Assets or the Privatization of Municipal Department Services or Functions.
As many of you are aware, the City Officials in Ansonia recently sold the locally-owned Water Pollution Control Authority to Aquarion, a for-profit company, causing significant changes to the rates Ansonia residents are being charged now and in the coming years. I have heard from many residents who felt this important financial decision that has long-term financial consequences should have been put to referendum so that you, the voters, could decide if you wanted this action taken. I agree that significant financial decisions, particularly regarding selling off major city assets and privatizing services, should be a decision put in the hands of the voters.
This challenge in our community is why I introduced a bill to give you the opportunity to have more say in the process.
H.B. 7208 would require a referendum to be voted upon by the voters of a municipality if a petition by ten percent of voters is filed due to the municipality's decision to sell an authority or other asset or privatize a department's services or functions. As the legislation is currently written, there would be a 30-day window after a city authorizes the sale or privatization of a property, authority, or department in which the petition can be filed.
In short, this bill would create a mechanism in every city and town in the state where residents can work to trigger a mandatory referendum when these circumstances come up. Currently, this options is available in certain towns, but not others.
The public hearing is coming up this Friday, March 14th at 10AM in Room 1B of the Legislative Office Building (LOB), and included below you will find information on how to testify in person, on zoom, and how to submit written testimony. At the state level, legislators take the testimony of the public seriously and I strongly encourage your participation on this issue. It is my hope that you will be willing to spare some time to testify, as I believe your voice will matter to move these efforts forward.
Register Here
Submit Written Testimony
Watch live on YouTube
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