Gov. Dannel P. Malloy received bipartisan credit for delivering a budget that doesn't rely on one-time gimmicks to bolster the state's sagging finances.
But that's where the consensus ended. Republicans criticized the spending plan's reliance on new taxes while Democrats said Malloy deserves praise and support for providing a balanced approach to the fiscal crisis.
State Sen. Joe Markley, a Republican from Southington who has broad support among the tea party movement, said he cannot vote for any budget that raises taxes, even though there are some elements of the Malloy plan that he likes.
"I am glad they're going to preserve aid to towns,'' Markley said this afternoon, just minutes after the governor delivered his budget address to the legislature. But, he added, "I came up here with a pledge that I would not support a tax increase and I won't.''