Without a public hearing or other vetting, the state Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a measure that would allow a New Haven-based public water authority to acquire one of the nation’s largest investor-owned water companies, Aquarion Water Company. Public authorities are outside the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, so Aquarion’s operations, finances and rates no longer would be subject to the approval of state regulators if the company is obtained by the Regional Authority, or RWA. A special session has been discussed since shortly after the regular session ended without passing a legislative fix needed to prevent an increase in motor vehicle taxes this fall, an unintended consequence of a 2022 bill. The fix would continued to classify commercial vehicles as motor vehicles, and it would clarify that current law allows municipalities to establish mill rates on motor vehicles that are lower than mill rates on real property and personal property. At the governor’s request, the bill would roll back a liberalizing of school construction bidding rules that was included in a fiscal bill in the last days of the regular session.
