| Hearing slated on fire districts | ||||||||
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| WEST HAVEN — The co-chairman of the General Assembly's Planning and Development Committee said Thursday he has agreed to hold a public hearing on proposed legislation that could pave the way to consolidating at least two of West Haven's three independent fire districts under the city's control. |
| An official of the union that represents firefighters in all three fire departments said, meanwhile, that union members, who for many years had opposed consolidation, have voted overwhelmingly to support the most recent draft of the legislation. But union Vice President Tony Connor, a firefighter in the Allingtown district — which could soon face a termination vote — said he worries that changes in the legislation could raise opposition in other parts of the state and hurt its chances for approval. West Shore fire officials said they have no interest in consolidating under the city. Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Louis D'Onofrio said he "would have no problem," however, with consolidating the three districts and fire departments into one district independent of the city. State Rep. Jeff Davis, D-Pomfret, House chairman of the Planning and Development Committee, said the public hearing will take place March 4 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1A of the state Legislative Office Building. But he cautioned, "The language we're going to have is not West Haven-specific. It is general authorizing language that would allow any municipalities looking to consolidate fire districts to be able to do it. There were concerns from our perspective about issues of home rule and West Haven's charter." Connorsaid he worries that legislators from other areas of the state might oppose such general legislation. Allingtown has operated since July without an approved budget after residents refused to approve one. The district could run out of money within weeks. The Allingtown Board of Fire Commissioners, acting under the threat of a looming court battle with residents, has called a Feb. 28 meeting to consider a citizens petition to terminate the district. But even if the board or Allingtown residents vote to terminate, the district must first pay its debts — including an $11 million unfunded pension liability — unless the city agrees to assume them, state law says. One reason for the legislation is that the city charter bars West Haven from stepping in even if a fire district goes belly-up, said Mayor H. Richard Borer Jr. State Rep. Steven Dargan, D-West Haven, a Center Fire District fire commissioner, said the Center District is "open to the possibility of one fire service if everybody is OK with it." Borer said consolidating the three fire districts into one independent district "defeats the purpose of consolidating." But "that certainly would be an option" if it's the only way to deal with Allingtown's problems, he said. "All I'm trying to do is bring stability," Borer said. "This is not a takeover operation." The broader problem, Borer said, is that "every year we institute all kinds of cost-saving measures so we can lower the peoples' taxes, and every year the fire districts' increases eat it up." Since the 1992-93 fiscal year, West Haven's tax rate, which does not cover fire service, has dropped from 36.92 mills to 34.08, Borer said. During that time, Allingtown's tax rate — added in on top of the city's tax rate — rose from 7.75 mills to 8.35. The Center Fire District's rate rose from 6.5 mills to 8.79, and the West Shore rate rose from 5.97 mills to 7 mills, he said. Together, the three fire districts have an unfunded pension liability of $42 million — $8 million for West Shore, $11 million for Allingtown and $23 million for the Center District, Borer said. |
| İNew Haven Register 2002 |