Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont would like to negotiate with Republican legislative leaders opposed to his plan for highway tolls.
Republicans see a memo that circulated to Connecticut lawmakers this week as the Lamont administration’s blueprint to divert $250 million in new car taxes away from the state’s Transportation Fund.
Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano said that would cripple the state’s ability to borrow money for transportation infrastructure. Republicans say they prefer bonding over tolls for the Special Transportation Fund.
“If you remove that amount of money and you don’t have the tolls, you’ll see that the STF starts having problems in 2022.”
Lamont’s chief of staff Ryan Drajewicz said the memo shows that Connecticut taxpayers would be responsible to pay back the borrowed money. He said tolls would shift some of the burden to out-of-state drivers.
“We look forward to elevating the debate, inviting the Republicans in to have the discussion. It’s an opportunity for us to make the case, which is to present what we think is the forward-looking vision and future state of transportation.”
Drajewicz said he’s confident the Lamont administration will win the argument for tolls at the end of the day.
