Business as Usual in Windsor Locks as Federal Sequester Looms

Despite the threat of sweeping federal budget cuts with many local implications, Windsor Locks officials are attending to business as usual.

First Selectman Steve Wawruck said he's not surprised the country's in this situation and he's not worried.

"It doesn't surprise me we're coming up to a deadline. It seems every time we clear a hurdle, there's a new hurdle in front of us," he said Tuesday by phone, adding that Windsor Locks will be okay regardless of legislators' action, or lack thereof.

"I don't believe it's going to happen, and if it does, I don't believe it will be as bad as it's being made out to be. I don't believe the horror stories," he said.

The automatic cuts that could take effect if negotiations aren't successful could have a significant impact on jobs and program funding in Connecticut, according to the White House. Everything from education to public safety and military funding could be subject to cuts down the line, but such cuts, Wawruck warned, aren't cause for immediate concern in Windsor Locks.

"The bills will still be paid," said Wawruck, adding that cuts, if put in place, would be a part of a gradual process, taking a toll over a long period of time. "If it happens, I don't think it's the end of the world."

Despite education funds being identified as an area of potential cuts, Windsor Locks Superintendent Wayne Sweeney expressed confidence in the district's ability to survive the sequester without major damage.

According to Sweeney, the district does not have many areas in its budget directly tied to federal dollars. The areas that are federally funded, he said, are the town's primary school, through Title I funding, and special education. With funding for both programs being mandated by law, Sweeney said he doubts they'll suffer much if legislators cannot make a deal by Friday.

Additionally, Sweeney expressed confidence in the security of his teachers' jobs.

"Our teachers all have contracts. The money is already in place," he said. "There's nothing definitive that would cause me to be concerned."

As Friday draws near, Wawruck offered some advice for legislators in Washington: they should take a note from Windsor Locks' book.

"The bottom line is they need to trim (spending). That's something we've been doing in Windsor Locks now for four years. We've brought zero-increase budgets, or budgets with less than one-percent increases, for four years," he said.

"There's a lack of getting the job done at the federal level and the American people are the one's hurting. We're the one's paying the price."