HARTFORD--Hartford is in a financial crisis, and officials are trying to find ways to reduce the deficit.
On Monday, new Mayor Luke Bronin held his first state of the city address to speak to constituents about where the city is, and what is in its future.
"The state of our city's financial condition is dire. We are in a state of fiscal emergency," said Bronin. The mayor added that it will take more than just cutting the fat off the budget; getting the city in good standing will take cuts to city services, union concessions, and some layoffs.
The address comes less than a week after the freshman mayor held a closed-door meeting with City Council members, as well as state representatives and senators to discuss the financial situation.
"There must be cuts in services and there will be layoffs," said Bronin during the address. "Difficult cuts that no one wants to make and that in better times we wouldn't contemplate. Cuts in services that are important, not cutting fat. Sacrificing things that really matter. We are looking out at a future that has larger and larger deficits...and what we need to do now is make the structural changes that are necessary to get us on a path to growth. That's how we're going to solve the problem in the long run."