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West Haven's budget is rejected by state oversight board

A state oversight board has rejected the city of West Haven’s $163 million budget.

The state Municipal Accountability Review Board questioned how the city will balance its budget in the long term with a renegotiated police contract.

The deal was approved by the City Council in March to increase officer pay by $10,000. It would be paid for in the 2023 budget by $2 million in federal pandemic relief funding and tax-exemption benefit payments from businesses.

The city has until June 15 to have a budget approved by the board.

Governor Ned Lamont approved Connecticut's temporary takeover of West Haven’s finances earlier this week after city workers misused federal coronavirus funds. Two employees were arrested, including former state Representative Michael DiMassa, who resigned from office last October.

Mayor Nancy Rossi wrote a letter to Lamont, saying the city can manage its own money since they’ve had four consecutive balanced budgets.

Copyright 2022 WSHU. To see more, visit WSHU.

A native Long Islander, J.D. is WSHU's afternoon news editor. Formally WAMC’s Berkshire bureau chief, he has reported for public radio stations, including bylines with WSHU, WNYC, WBUR, WNPR and NPR. J.D. has reported on healthcare and small businesses for "Long Island Business News" and real estate and land-use for The Press News Group newspapers. He also hosted, produced and engineered award-winning programs at WUSB Stony Brook. An avid fencer in his free time, J.D. holds a B.A. in journalism and sociology from Stony Brook University and an M.S. in communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.