Like many municipalities across the country, cities and towns in southwestern Connecticut were forced to tighten their belts in the wake of the Great Recession of 2007-08.

But even as the economy has slowly recovered, most local governments continue to run leaner than they did in the past.

An analysis of Bridgeport and several surrounding communities indicates there are fewer employees on the public payroll than there were in 2008.

In Bridgeport, the number of non-school employees dropped from 1,530 just before the recession to 1,341 in the current operating budget, according to staffing figures in Mayor Joe Ganim’s proposed 2016-17 budget.

Non-school staffing in Bridgeport bottomed out at 1,296.6 workers during the 2013-14 fiscal year, and has gradually increased since. Ganim’s proposed 2016-17 budget calls for a slight increase to 1,355.5 non-school employees.

“We had to do more with less and we did,” recalled ex-Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, who was first elected in 2007 and served two four-year terms before he was beaten by Ganim last year.

Finch often talked about how even during the recession, the city reduced staffing and still maintained quality services.

The budget that Finch and the City Council passed for the 2013-14 fiscal year relied on $2 million in union concessions. Those talks continued with other collective bargaining units beyond that budget, yet Finch never moved forward with a threat to lay off employees.

There was speculation at the time that the Finch administration felt deeper cuts would damage city services.

When asked recently to comment on that theory, the ex-mayor said, “I think we did the cutting that was most productive early on. I’ll leave it at that.”

Addition by subtraction

Ganim has made the case that he and his staff inherited a bloated City Hall. The new mayor has laid off several dozen union and non-union staffers, and his proposed budget calls for restructuring departments.

Ganim has also offered an early retirement incentive — a year of health care and $15,000 cash — to try and weed out more employees. So far, more than 40 city workers have applied.

Still, Ganim has also been criticized for finding jobs for some of his campaign loyalists.

So while making cuts elsewhere, he continues to move ahead with a campaign promise that was actually initiated by Finch — the hiring of 100 new cops to bolster a police force depleted by retirements.

John Ricci, Ganim’s head of public facilities, is a veteran city employee with decades of experience. Ricci said his budget cuts about $1 million in salaries and benefits.

“Most of it was middle management,” Ricci said. “So there’s been streamlining and consolidation. I can handle the same work load with a lot less people.”

But will taxpayers see a reduction in garbage pickup, street repair, snow removal and other city services?

“Not at all,” Ricci said. “Nope.”

In nearby Milford, the city had 561 non-school workers and 1,018.16 school employees in 2008-09.

This year, there are 539 non-school workers — a reduction of 22 positions — and 942.73 school employees — a reduction of about 76 positions.

Shelton balances austerity, accountability

In the Valley, the recession and budget cuts forced Shelton to reduce school staffing by about 95 positions from the 758.5 people who worked there during the 2008-09 school year.

Today, the Shelton school district operates with 663 employees.

“It was a struggle,” said Mark Holden, president of the Shelton Board of Education. “In a matter of a few months, we had to reorganize our central office and we had to increase class sizes.”

A growing number of special education students and children whose native language is not English has also put pressure on budgeting, funding and cutting.

“As a result of our cost-cutting measures, our per pupil expenditure is among the lowest in the state,” Holden said. “Ninety-four percent of the districts spend more than we do on a per pupil basis.

“As for next year, the mayor’s proposed budget was less that we asked for, but we feel it was fair and will allow a modest expansion of our staff to meet our growing needs.”

Mayor Mark Lauretti and John Anglace, the longtime Board of Aldermen president, both pointed out that Shelton’s student population has dropped by about 900 children in recent years.

Attrition helps ease the pain

While Anglace said the city was not forced to lay off any employees during the Great Recession, the city also didn’t fill positions lost to attrition during those lean years.

“You have to rein in spending during tough times, and that’s what we do here,” Anglace said. “When times are tough, we tighten our belts. You can’t be spending money you don’t have. Show me another city in the state that has not raised taxes in 12 years.”

Anglace said the Board of Aldermen and the school board have tried to work together to cut spending, not quality.

“We consolidated fifth and sixth grades into one school. That saved us money on staffing and paraprofessionals,” he said. “We’ve bought the buses that drive our kids to schools. We converted those buses from diesel to propane. This has saved us probably $1 million a year.

“Now, we’re putting a fuel cell at the high school that we believe is going to save us $100,000 in electricity and heating costs,” Anglace said. “We’re putting a new roof on Sunnyside School and paying for it with $1 million we have in our surplus. We have a sizeable surplus and use it wisely.”

With complexes like R.D. Scinto’s developments on Corporate Drive, the build-up of restaurants and businesses on the once tree-lined Bridgeport Avenue, and the conversion of abandoned factories into downtown apartments, Shelton’s tax base continues to grow.

Shelton has also lured away companies and residents from the more expensive lower Fairfield County communities.

Bill Purcell, president of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the recession “impacted everyone, no one was immune.... It was a very, very difficult time in terms of the climate for investment and employment. Unemployment was very close to double digits.”

Purcell said the state “hasn’t yet fully recovered, but I think we are seeing the investment climate in the Valley strengthening.”

He points to The Mark luxury apartments on Shelton’s Bridgeport Avenue, Scinto’s Fountain Lake Industrial Park in Ansonia and the state Department of Transportation’s redesign of Route 34 through downtown Derby, among other projects.

‘Training grounds for teachers’

Michael Wilson, the assistant superintendent of schools in Ansonia, said his city’s schools since 2008 have “eliminated several teaching positions, as well as all of our tutors, several custodial positions, several paraprofessionals, library clerks, some secretaries and administrators.”

Budget cuts forced the elimination of music and art last year in Ansonia. Some social studies programs were cut this year.

The school board is currently embroiled in a budget flap with Mayor David Cassetti and the Board of Aldermen. The board is seeking a $2 million increase and the city is offering a $750,000 bump.

All this comes as a result of the mayor’s election pledge to reduce the city’s taxes for a third straight year.

Bill Nimons, a longtime Ansonia Board of Education member and its current president, said the city has reduced taxes by dipping into its large fund balance.

Nimons, the city’s former comptroller, warns that can’t continue.

“I call our schools the training grounds for teachers,” Nimons said. “We can’t afford to keep them. They stay here two or three years and then they move on to Fairfield County districts which offer them ($10,000 to $20,000) raises. We can’t match those numbers.”

GE leaves, Farrel stays

In March, Ansonia Superintendent of Schools Carol Merlone handed out about 40 layoff notices to teachers. The notices will take effect if the school’s requested $2 million increase is drastically cut.

“We desperately need to see economic growth here,” Nimons said.

While General Electric moved out of Fairfield, Ansonia fought hard to keep Farrel-Pomini, a 168-year-old downtown fixture-from moving to Kansas. In September, Farrel is expected to open its new corporate headquarters in the Fountain Lake Industrial Park.

“The high unemployment rates throughout the Valley and the state have impacted every community on the government and non-governmental side,” said Sheila O’Malley, the city’s economic development director and its assistant personnel director, and a former grants writer for the city of Derby.

“Retaining Farrel Corp., for example, and increasing their employment numbers significantly affects our community in a positive way. We are working on cleaning up our contaminated properties to create new space for future development.

“On the government side of things, I encourage our departments to look at efficient and cost-effective ways to provide city services,” she said. “There are ways to partner with other cities and towns to save our taxpayers’ money. For example, public works has joined forces with neighboring communities to share equipment and services producing a reduction in the cost of doing business.”

‘A whole new economy’

In Oxford, Jim Hliva, the town’s finance director, said cost-saving measures had to be put in place after the Great Recession.

“Things are starting to get back to normal now,” he said. “The only lasting problem that we have is housing construction and housing prices never recovered.”

“Everything has changed,” said Marc Garofalo, who served four terms, 1997 to 2005, as Derby’s mayor. “The impact that recession had on the general economy was unprecedented. It changed everything. It’s a whole new economy.”

Consider: For years, the Grassy Lodge was renown as a catering, wedding and event hall in Derby. Today, it is The Hops Company, a microbrewery. Likewise, what was once the Valley Bowl on Pershing Drive now houses Panera Bread and Aldi’s supermarket.

“You can’t compare what’s happening now to what was there,” he said.

In 2009, Garofalo bought a CertaPro painting franchise.

“I started it at the bottom of the market. People weren’t spending money on refurbishing,” he said. “Now, I’m starting to see it come back. But that’s like a microcosm of what happened.”

Staff writers John Burgeson and Alex Wolff contributed to this report.