Months after the governor released his proposal, Senate Republicans offered their solutions. The Republican budget again presented many important cost-saving measures that should be included in any final budget deal. One of the most notable reforms was in the area of binding arbitration, where the proposal limited the consideration of a town's fund balance when determining binding arbitration awards. This provision alone would allow towns to maintain healthy reserves for bonding and necessary capital projects without fear of the money being diverted into increased salaries and benefits. In addition to the positive reforms, however, the GOP plan also reduced education funding in some communities and eliminated property tax relief efforts that were passed by the legislature just two years ago. While the proposal presented a bold path for reform in some areas, without modification it assured property tax increases for some municipalities, and did not guarantee keeping the state's capitol city out of bankruptcy.