Senate Passes Budget That Includes Funding to Keep Both Horse Guard Facilities Open

Funding for both of the First and Second companies Governor’s Horse Guard has been preserved in a bill passed by the state Senate and being deliberated by the House of Representatives, Rep. Chris Lyddy (D-106) said Tuesday.

"It is my understanding that the money for the Horse Guard has been restored in the budget," Sen. Kevin Witkos (R-17), who represents Avon, wrote in an e-mail.

While the bill, SB 1239, that the senate reviewed does not directly mention the Horse Guards or eliminating the consolidation proposal, the numbers match up. The revised budget that the state Senate passed on funds the Military Department with $6,979,579 for fiscal year 2011-12 and $6,950,874 for fiscal year 2012-13. The initial budget summary that Malloy released in February lists the Military Department general fund budget as $6,900,947 for 2011-12 and $6,809,373 in 2012-13. The difference between the two numbers is $78,632 for 2011-12 and $141,501 for 2012-13. Those two numbers are exactly the amount that Malloy's February budget summary projected in Military Department savings for next year and the following year, respectively, if the state closed either the Avon or Newtown facility and consolidated the two companies.

This move would more than fund the First and Second Company Governor's Horse Guards at the 50 percent rate they requested to keep both units open. It would fully fund both with the amount they normally receive.

Lyddy said one of the conditions to restoring the funds was a commitment to looking at how the two outfits will operate in the future, including ways for them to fundraise and be more self-sufficient.

Members of the Newtown and Avon-based horse guards and their supporters have been on edge for months after the governor proposed consolidating the two companies into one location as a way to save money.

While the initial proposal was to , lawmakers began talking during the last several weeks about consolidating the Avon unit with the one in Newtown. But that change in direction had.

In the end, funding for the both guards to remain – $78,632 – appears to have been preserved, Lyddy said.

The House of Representatives was scheduled to review the revised budget on Tuesday and is still deliberating the bill.