Local Government in Connecticut, Third Edition

5. State Government vs. Local Government

ChApTEr 5 State Government vs. Local Government Many times at local public meetings the frustrations of local officials and citizens regarding the state are vocalized. “How can the state do that, we have ‘home rule.’” The tenor of such comments is such that one wonders if the state is a foreign agent and not part of where residents live. As explained in chapter 2, towns and cities are “creatures of the state” and have home rule rights because the state allows those rights. Connecticut residents have never taken the creation of a government structure lightly. It was the first state in colonial America to have a written constitution with the adoption of the Fundamental Orders in 1638–39. This explains the significance of the words “Constitution State” on Connecticut automobile license plates. In 1818, the state adopted its first constitution as a member of the United States. Article First, Declaration of Rights, Section 2 of Connecticut’s Constitution reads as follows: “All political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their benefit ; and they have at all times an undeniable and indefeasible right to alter their form of government in such as manner as they may think expedient.” Through this constitution and throughout the state’s history , democratic local government has been accepted as an important right of the people. Many cities and towns have exercised their right of home rule and adopted or revised their local charter (see chapter 6 for an explanation of this process) to change or modify their form of government. Recent examples of changes in the form of local government include the city of New London and the town of Cromwell. New London changed from a council/manager form of mEAning oF ThE “ConsTiTuTion sTATE” With the adoption of the Fundamental Orders in 1638–39, Connecticut was the first state in colonial America to have a written constitution. In 1818, it adopted its first constitution as a member of the United States. Article First, Declaration of Rights, Section 2 of that constitution states: “All political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their benefit; and they have at all times an undeniable and indefeasible right to alter their form of government in such as manner as they may think expedient.” 38 Local Government in Connecticut government to a mayor/council, and Cromwell switched from a selectman/town meeting to a council/manager; both municipalities used the charter revision process detailed in chapter 6. In 1960, Connecticut abolished a level of government when it eliminated county government . Connecticut still has counties (see chapter 26) but no county government. Therefore , when paying taxes, residents pay to the municipality where they own property or to the state. Connecticut is only one of two states that does not have county government (the other is Rhode Island). In lieu of this regional form of government, the state has established regional planning organizations (RPOs). Thus there is one state government and 169 local governments. The responsibilities of the municipalities are spelled out in this book, but basically they include local public education, public safety, public works, public health, human services, recreation, and general administration. At the state level, there is a broad range of state agencies with numerous functions, such as transportation, higher education, emergency services, criminal justice, the judicial system, banking, labor, environmental protection, consumer protection , veterans, teachers retirement, and economic development. Each of the state agencies has its own budget, and either provides direct services or works with municipalities and other organizations to carry out their mission. A complete list of the state agencies can be found on the State of Connecticut website (www.ct.gov/ctportal). For example, the Department of Transportation (DOT), one of the larger state agencies, has a broad range of responsibilities. These include everything from the construction and maintenance of state roads and highways to the maintenance and regulation of railroads, aviation, and mass transit including the Metro North commuter rail service to New York City. The main headquarters of DOT is located in Newington. It provides road maintenance including winter maintenance activities throughout the state through an organization of regional districts, each of which has several public works facilities. State roads may not look any different than municipal roads, but they can be identified by a state number assigned to them, such as Route 66 or Route 17 (see chapter 14...