NANCY WYMAN COMPTROLLER	STATE OF CONNECTICUT	MARK OJAKIAN DEPUTY COMPTROLLER
	OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER 55 ELM STREET HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106-1775

Dear Fellow Citizens:

As the state's chief fiscal guardian, I am proud to present this issue of The Comptroller's Report: Connecticut's Economic Health. In this annual report we take a common sense look at the fiscal condition of our state and explain our findings in a way that is easily understandable. This report shows how the robust national economy has benefited Connecticut, presents projections that point to continued but slower economic growth in future years, and offers recommendations to ensure that we do not repeat the fiscal problems of the past.

In the coming years it is likely the state will confront the dual pressures of slowing revenue growth and the need to live within the constitutional cap on state spending that was approved by voters in 1992. In order to respect the limits of the spending cap while providing vital state services to residents it will be necessary to find greater efficiencies in the way our government delivers services to our citizens.

In this report, I have identified new technologies and better budgeting practices that will provide the financial tools necessary to accomplish these goals, including:

• Opening the state's financial books to the people of Connecticut via the Internet
• Using new technologies to better control state spending
• Implementing Performance Budgeting
• Expanding Home Care Options for Connecticut's Elderly
• Promoting Truth-In-Budgeting and Improving Financial Reporting

I am especially proud of my agency's effort to bring detailed on-line access to the state's bond allocation information directly to the taxpayer via the Internet. This is part of my ongoing initiative to open the state's books to citizens, public advocates, academics and the media in order to enhance their important oversight role in the government's system of checks and balances.

Knowledge is power, and with this open-book initiative I am honored to return a piece of that power to its rightful owner - the people of the State of Connecticut.

Sincerely, 

Nancy Wyman
State Comptroller

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