By Avice Meehan

State Rep. Maria Horn came prepared to share details about the Connecticut budget (she is co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee) and the progress that has been made toward paying down the state’s unfunded pension liability, increasing the rainy day fund (now up to $18 billion) and allocating more state funds toward both education and child care.

The dozen or so residents who attended the June 22 legislative update at the Norfolk Hub may have appreciated a thoughtful discussion about state spending and revenues, as well as the need to rethink limits on budget increases. Some had other matters on their mind. What steps might the state take to eradicate the invasive Asian lady beetle, a frequent and unwelcome guest in many Norfolk homes? What about litter along Route 272 or the omnipresent “nip” bottles found along many roads? Could something be done about enforcement of speed limits and trash pickup on state roads?

Horn, first elected in 2018 and seeking a fifth term, had no suggestions for managing beetle infestations. For those who are curious, a quick internet search turned up two recommendations: vacuum up the bugs on a regular basis; seal windows and doors. Yet she leapt right into a discussion of the difficulty of dealing with nips and the failure of the current approach, which sends a portion of nip sales back to Connecticut municipalities. “It has blunted the advocacy for doing something about nips,” she said.

As might be expected, energy costs were top of mind for many of those in attendance, along with the rigidity of the state definition of minimum budget requirement for school spending and the big-picture impact of the current administration. Horn noted that there are structural reasons that energy costs in Connecticut are high but said the General Assembly has tried to make solar more accessible by enabling so-called balcony solar panels and by taking certain costs out of the public benefits charge included in electric bills. Roughly 40 percent of Connecticut’s energy derives from Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford, which helps stabilize rates when energy prices soar. She decried the Trump Administration’s decision to cancel the Revolution Wind project that could have powered several hundred thousand homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Norfolk ran afoul of the state’s minimum budget requirement in the 2024-25 fiscal year because of a sharp drop in spending for special education. Current state law does not include special education as a justification for reduced spending for education. “That is on my radar,” Horn said, noting that small towns such as Norfolk need greater flexibility when it comes to managing fluctuating requirements in areas such as special education.

Horn said Connecticut residents experience a “bit of a split screen” with a political and civic culture that differs from what is in evidence in Washington, D.C. A former federal prosecutor, she attributed Connecticut’s healthier climate, in part, to public financing of elections and a commitment to “government that works, that respects people” even in the face of disagreement.