Sen. Cohen: $4.5M For North Branford Police Building In State Budget

NORTH BRANFORD, CT —The North Branford Police Department is slated to receive $4.5 million from the state Senate-approved two-year spending plan, according to a news release from Democratic state Sen. Christine Cohen, who represents North Branford.

North Branford police Deputy Chief James Lovelace said the department is thankful to Cohen for "supporting this funding initiative and bringing back this critical funding to the town."

Cohen also represents Branford, Durham, Guilford, Killingworth, and Madison.

"The partnership with her office and this administration is a cooperative effort which we value highly here at the North Branford Police Department, he said.

Lovelace said that the department has been working with state Rep. Vincent Candelora, who proposed the funding, on the new building project from its inception.

"He's been an integral partner and stakeholder throughout this process, and we can not thank him enough for all he has done for the Police Department and Town of North Branford," Lovelace said.

Candelora, and Chairman of the North Branford Police Commission Victor Pietrandrea have been collaborating on this potential funding for some time, Lovelace noted.

Pietrandrea thanked Candelora for his "dedication and unwavering support and leadership" and for "delivering" funding to build a "state-of-the-art police facility" and public safety services to residents.

"This is a very positive development that all local and state leaders worked hard together to make it happen. We are grateful for the response from Hartford because this project has been made a priority," Canelora said. "A lot of effort has gone into the development of the police station and we look forward to the day when it will be completed."

Cohen and her Democratic colleagues in the state Senate Tuesday led final passage of a modified second year of the two-year state budget. In a news release from Cohen, it's noted that the budget will "bring Connecticut's 3.5 million residents a half-billion dollars in tax savings." And invests hundreds of millions of other dollars in new childcare, mental health, social services, job creation and other new state programs.

The budget was passed by a bipartisan 24-12 vote and now heads to Gov. Ned Lamont for his signature of the bill into law.

"I am proud of this budget and its investment in the people, the places and our environment in the state of Connecticut," Cohen said.

Cohen, who also serves as Senate Chair of the Environment Committee, said she is particularly proud of the many town-specific and environment-related aspects of the budget bill that she fought to include.

The $4.5 million for the North Branford Police Department in particular.

With an influx of federal aid, and with Connecticut tax revenues soaring due to a rebounding state economy, strong job growth and rising incomes, the second year of the biennial state budget was reconfigured by Democrats and Gov. Lamont to increase investments in important programs by 6.5% to $24.2 billion, Cohen said.

The budget includes historic tax cuts for Connecticut's citizens as well as major new investments in some of the human needs that were highlighted by the past two years of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

The Democratic budget is still under the state-mandated spending cap, has maxed out our state Rainy Day Fund at $3.3 billion, and makes a massive, unprecedented $3.5 billion payment toward Connecticut's 70 years of built-up pension debt.

Click here to view more details and analysis of the Democratic budget.