GOVERNOR DANNEL MALLOY OF CONNECTICUT
Former Mayor of
the City of Stamford at a previous SWRPA-MPO event in Norwalk Community
Room...
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South Western Regional Planning Agency/Metropolitan
Planning
Organization; at the "Community Room," Norwalk City Hall,
February 1, 2012
Transportation
advocates outline priorities for legislative session
By CHASE WRIGHT Hour Staff Writer
Feb. 2. 2012
NORWALK -- Transportation advocates from lower Fairfield County are
pushing lawmakers in Hartford to obtain up to $324 million in funding
to make improvements to Metro-North Railroad's New Canaan and Danbury
branch lines.
The newly formed Policy Committee of the South Western Regional
Planning Agency (SWRPA) and South Western Region Metropolitan Planning
Organization (SWRMPO) held their annual legislative briefing at Norwalk
City Hall on Wednesday to announce priorities for the upcoming
legislative session, which include maintaining funding for transit
districts, eliminating a cumbersome zoning enforcement statute and
developing competitive grant programs that would favor development
projects in small towns.
Robert Stephan, co-chairman of the Policy Committee, said a
collaborative approach that includes town planners and stakeholders
from multiple agencies will improve the committee's chances for success
in the upcoming legislative session beginning Feb. 8.
Committee members will be persistent in urging legislators in the
General Assembly to approve the initiatives, which Stephan said are
"realistically achievable" despite the state's projected revenue
shortfall for 2012.
"This year we're going to be after them, we're going to do a lot of
follow- up," he said. "We're working together so we can get more energy
behind (our priorities). We have more clout that way and we can focus
more."
State Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-143, will be leading the effort in Hartford
to secure $324 million in bonding authorization for New Canaan and
Danbury branch line improvements, which would link employment centers
in Stamford, Norwalk and Greenwich, resulting in more frequent service
and shorter travel times for residents along the Route 7 corridor.
"This is something that concerns the entire economy of our state," said
Lavielle.
A record 38.2 million customers rode Metro-North's New Haven Line in
2011, up 2.7 percent from the previous year when ridership was 37.3
million, according to the railroad.
"That's a lot of rides, a lot of economic activity," she said.
Norwalk Transit District Administrator Louis Schulman said public bus
systems have also experienced an increase in ridership, and he urged
legislators to maintain existing funding for transit districts.
"As the economy continues to improve, we're going to need to maintain
those services," he said.
Transit districts have also been hamstrung by inflexibility over
funding, he said.
Funding for bus operations in Connecticut is derived from 13 disparate
funding sources, or "silos," some of which are earmarked for specific
services and all of which must conform to specific reporting
requirements.
Collapsing those silos and associated financial reports into a more
manageable number would save time and money, Schulman said. He called
on legislators to lobby the Department of Transportation commissioner,
who, he said, has the authority limit the reporting requirements.
Larry Bradley, director of Westport's Planning and Zoning Department,
spoke to what he called an "unnecessary and irrelevant" statute which
prohibits municipalities from effectively enforcing local zoning
regulations.
Zoning enforcement officials are subjected to personal liability for
treble damages by state statute, and as a result, are hesitant to
assess penalties for zoning violations, he said. Despite their fear,
however, Bradley says the statute has almost never been applied.
"The more prudent approach would be to eliminate the statute
entirely," he said.
House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-142, said the recommendations
outlined by the SWRPA/SWRMPO Policy Committee may win approval in the
General Assembly this year if they don't come with high price tags.
"What hangs over all this," he said, "is our budget and fiscal issues."
State revenues are expected to decline by about $95 million in the
current fiscal year that ends June 30, or one-half of 1 percent of the
annual budget. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has said he will slash spending to
close the projected budget deficit.
Commuter
branch lines top legislative wish list
Martin B. Cassidy, Staff Writer, Stamford ADVOCATE
Updated 09:08 p.m., Wednesday, February 1, 2012
NORWALK -- Fairfield County leaders asked state legislators to seek
funding to improve the New Canaan and Danbury branch lines, and
maintain funding to support bus service, as two major goals for the
upcoming legislative sessions.
State Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton said that a $290 million project to
electrify the Danbury Line and a $34 million set of improvements to the
New Canaan Line are as important as any large projects in the state to
improve the state's economy.
"It is really something that involves the entire economy of the state
to bring the Danbury and New Canaan branch lines up to speed," Lavielle
said. "Why? We know how much this region of the state contributes to
the economy of the state of Connecticut."
Lavielle and other regional officials shared the legislative goals of
the South Western Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is
made up of the chief elected officials of municipalities from Greenwich
to Weston at the agency's annual legislative breakfast at Norwalk City
Hall.
In addition to improvements to the Danbury and New Canaan lines and
calls for transit funding, the group also requested elimination of a
state statute that makes zoning enforcement officers liable for damages
for enforcing land use laws, and making it easier for smaller towns to
compete for economic development grants.
State Sen. L. Scott Frantz, R-Greenwich, and other legislators told
officials that the major rail projects face potential hurdles this
year, including a recent realization the state will require more than
$80 million in additional spending cuts to balance the budget.
"Most of these issues we can work on," Frantz said. "We do believe the
New Canaan and Danbury branch line projects are important to bring
economic development to the area but we have to look at the budget
issues."
Weston First Selectwoman Gayle Weinstein told legislators that beyond
the high priority to modernize the Danbury and New Canaan lines, chief
elected officials tried to keep the financial weight of the requests
light.
"We understand that there isn't as much money because doing our own
budgets we know there is less money," Weinstein said.
Laurence Bradley, zoning enforcement officer for the town of Westport
said that legislators should also amend statutes that makes zoning
enforcement officers liable for treble damages if they are found to
have issued a citation for violating land use laws "frivolously."
Bradley said the statute tends to deter towns from the proper use of
enforcement actions or fines to force compliance by contractors because
of fear of significant liability.
"The law isn't clear on whether the treble damages apply to just the
fines levied or for the cost of a project being shut down," Bradley
said. "It has a chilling effect when municipalities who won't adopt a
citation policy because of the liability."
State Rep. Livvy Floren, R-Greenwich said that she couldn't see a
reason in the public interest to hold a zoning enforcement officer
personally liable for damages for issuing citations.
"It seems like one of those laws that has been on the books too long,"
Floren said.
Steve Kleppin, town planner for the town of New Canaan said legislators
need to expand criteria of grant programs geared towards smart growth
and job creation that seem weighted in favor of larger cities.
Criteria set by the state Office of Policy & Management last year
for towns and cities applying for a share of $5 million in Transit
Oriented Development pilot grant program required that applications
request at least $250,000, a larger amount than most towns like New
Canaan and Wilton would require for planning purposes.
Most of the money approved through the program went to cities,
including Stamford, Norwalk, and New Haven, while requests from New
Canaan and Wilton were rejected.
"They could establish a tiered approach based on the size of the
population and maybe set aside a proportion of the money for towns of
different sizes," Kleppin said.
Wilton First Selectman Bill Brennan also expressed disappointment with
the state's decision to require towns to resubmit applications for the
TOD grant program, reversing a decision made in 2008 to give Wilton
grant money for the program.
"It's a disincentive to preparing the applications when something like
that happens," Brennan said. "When the second round was eventually
distributed we didn't get it on the second round."
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South Western Regional Planning Agency/Metropolitan
Planning
Organization; at the "Community Room," Norwalk City Hall, January
24, 2011
This year the
video was taken with a single, hand-held camera. Apologies for
the shakiness, but it was the best that we could arrange for on this
sub-zero morning!
Please
click here for video of the SWRPA-MPO 2011 Legislative Breakfast.
Click here
for the joint Legislative Priorities of the MPO and SWRPA.
NEWS
REPORTS:
Leone
ahead of Kolenberg in special election
Stamford ADVOCATE
Kate Kingand Maggie Gordon, Staff Writers
Updated 08:23 a.m., Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Longtime state representative Carlo Leone is heading to the state
senate after beating out Republican opponent Bob Kolenberg.
With preliminary results Tuesday night showing Leone, a Democrat,
leading Kolenberg by nearly 1,000 votes, Kolenberg called Leone to
concede the race in a special election to replace Democrat Andrew
McDonald, who left last month to take a job in the Malloy
administration.
Leone, elected to a fifth term as state representative for District 148
in November, said Tuesday he plans to use his new position as state
senator for District 27 to push for a reduction in state spending and
borrowing and to advocate for transportation initiatives...
Watch now
Senator Leone on the subject of treble-damages/zoning enforcement, one
of SWRPA/MPO priorities.
Regional
planners lay out priorities
By ROBERT KOCH, Hour Staff Writer
25 January 2011
NORWALK
Avoid cuts to municipal aid programs, make the local real estate
conveyance tax permanent, lift unfunded mandates and put money into the
New Canaan and Danbury branches of Metro-North Railroad.
On Monday morning, elected officials of the eight member communities of
the South Western Regional Planning Agency/South Western Region
Metropolitan Planning Organization laid out their 2011 legislative
priorities to lawmakers in the Community Room of Norwalk City Hall.
Some elected officials were annoyed that the state Bond Commission
released millions of dollars to upgrade rails for high-speed rail
service between Hartford and Springfield, Mass., when the Danbury Line
hasn't been re-electrified.
State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-26, noted that the installation of modern
signalization has begun along the Danbury Line, but added that more
improvements are needed before money is spent out of state.
"We would not rather have new rails in other states, but (instead) fix
it first here at home," Boucher said. "Signalization, it's underway
right now. However, there's more that needs to be done."
According to the legislative priorities, as developed by SWRPA member
communities, a "modest $34 million investment" would modernize the New
Canaan Branch signals and result in construction of a segment of track
that would allow bi-directional service during peak hours. Meanwhile,
$290 million would support the re-electrification of the Danbury Branch
and pay for infrastructure improvements between South Norwalk and
Danbury.
In another transportation-related priority, Norwalk Transit District
Administrator Louis Schulman told lawmakers that bus ridership has
returned after sinking due to the recession. About 1 million people
ride the Coastal Link between Bridgeport and Norwalk each year, he
said. "This is the worst time to cut services," Schulman said.
About 50 people attended the SWRPA/MPO Annual Legislative Meeting,
including Norwalk Mayor Richard A. Moccia, Stamford Mayor Michael
Pavia; New Canaan First Selectman MPO Chairman Jeb Walker; and SWRPA
Executive Director Floyd Lapp, who led the meeting.
The breakfast comes as lawmakers settle into their new legislative
session, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy prepares to release his recommended
state budget next month.
SWRPA's priorities this year: Support rail infrastructure improvements
along the New Canaan and Danbury branches; provide the same level of
funding statewide for bus services mandated by the Americans with
Disabilities Act; eliminate triple
damages liability for zoning
enforcement officers who are taken to court; make the local real estate
conveyance tax permanent; and prohibit legislation that imposes
unfunded mandates on municipalities.
House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. of Norwalk asked SWRPA
members to give lawmakers their "top-10 list of mandates that are
driving you nuts." Cafero, R-142, also asked whether they'd agree to
their municipalities being flat-funded by the state -- "you got no more
than you got last year, but not a nickel less than you got last year."
Flat-funding would reduce the state's estimated $3.5 billion deficit by
$1 billion over a two-year period, Cafero said.
Mayor Richard A. Moccia said he'd be receptive to flat-funding provided
municipal aid to municipalities was more fairly allocated. Norwalk and
Stamford, although located in Fairfield County, have low-income
residents and crime problems but receive the lowest municipal aid among
Connecticut's six cities, he said.
"We would accept (flat funding) if there was true fairness of funding
for our cities," Moccia said.