Mayor Bronin Statement On Budget Adoption By The City Council

Published on June 22, 2020

HARTFORD, CONN (June 22, 2020) – Today the Hartford City Council voted to adopt the City of Hartford’s budget for Fiscal Year 2020 – 2021.  The total General Fund budget is $567,758,310, with $284,013,274 going to the Board of Education, $8,335,687 going to the Hartford Public Library, and the remaining 275,409,349 going to City operations.  The budget includes two changes proposed by the City Council and approved by Mayor Bronin: a reduction of $1 million from the Police Department’s budget in addition to the approximately $700,000 cut initially proposed by Mayor Bronin, and a separate reallocation of $1 million within the Police Department’s budget to be spent on training and related initiatives.  The $1 million cut from the Police Department will go to support other public services, including additional after-school and weekend recreational activities, more staffing at the Department of Public Works, additional housing and health inspectors, professional staff for the Civilian Police Review Board, and more.

“We have fought hard for fiscal stability, and overall, this is another lean, disciplined budget that focuses on core services,” said Mayor Luke Bronin.  “I am grateful to the City Council for their careful deliberation over the last few weeks.  There has been a lot of attention on the Police Department’s budget, and our 6% combined reduction and reallocation is one of the most significant adjustments we’ve seen across the country.  While I disagree deeply with the calls to ‘abolish’ or drastically defund the police, we are committed to reform and reimagining policing, and that’s reflected in this budget.  In partnership with the City Council, we make significant investments in training, funded a permanent investigative staff for the Civilian Police Review Board, and protected funding for vital services for our most vulnerable residents.”

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