The state’s newly created Municipal Accountability Review Board, which provides financial guidance and assistance to distressed cities and towns, has reviewed its first city-union contract, with more expected to come soon.
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The state's newly created Municipal Accountability Review Board, which provides financial guidance and assistance to distressed cities and towns, has reviewed its first city-union contract, with more expected to come soon.
The review board met Jan. 11 and held a two-hour discussion with West Haven officials about their finances.
West Haven and Hartford, whose Mayor Luke Bronin lobbied for the creation of the review board, are the first two municipalities that have been approved for oversight. The board has approximately $55 million in municipal aid under its purview over the next two years.
The discussion this month included a detailed review of a newly signed contract between West Haven and a bargaining unit of 24 water pollution plant employees.
Review board members, including State Treasurer Denise Nappier and Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes, said they wanted to be careful in reviewing their first contract to not send any messages about contract terms they favor or dislike.
Barnes said a municipality's ability to afford a new contract should be the top concern.
“We owe it to ourselves to be thoughtful about how we handle the first one of these out of the gate,” he said.
West Haven's contract includes no wage increases in the first year, a switch to a higher-deductible health plan, elimination of sick days in overtime pay calculations and other short- and long-term savings measures.
Detailed discussion of the contract came after Nappier said she was worried about taking a perfunctory vote without additional context.
“It's not so much this agreement, because I don't really see anything wrong with it,” she said. “It's the basis for the action we take and how it could affect other collective-bargaining agreements that could come before this body.”
In the end, review board members decided to take no formal action on the contract, which under a new state law creating the board, effectively approves it.
Review board members said they intend to create a uniform format for reviewing city and town union contracts.
Correction: This article mistakenly stated that North Haven officials are seeking assistance from the accountability board. The city is West Haven.
