Vote sought on unified fire district for West Haven

Vote sought on unified fire district

Mark Zaretsky, Register Staff

March 15, 2002

WEST HAVEN — A key legislative committee in Hartford has approved an amended bill that could clear the way for the controversial consolidation of the city's three independent fire districts by calling for a citywide referendum within 90 days of adoption by the entire General Assembly.

But while the committee sent the bill to the House floor, Co-Chairman Jefferson B. Davis, D-Pomfret, said he had doubts it would ever come up for a vote.

"I think there are some significant problems with the bill," he said.

Lawyers must review the bill before it goes to the House and may decide it's unconstitutional, in which case they would send it back to the committee, Davis said. That would effectively kill the bill for this session because the committee finished its work Wednesday, he said.

The bill raises questions because it appears to override the state's home rule laws, which preserve certain powers for towns and cities, Davis said.

"West Haven has a charter, and we don't have the authority as the legislature to go in and change the charter," Davis said.

Davis said he made his concerns clear to Mayor H. Richard Borer Jr. and state Rep.
Louis P. Esposito Jr., D-West Haven, who pushed the committee to pass the legislation.

"I think this is a good bill," said Borer, who favors consolidation.

"It gives us the opportunity to correct our problems at home before there's a crisis" such as the Allingtown Fire District running out of money before the end of the fiscal year. The district is currently operating without an approved budget.

The bill that the committee passed on to the House is similar to the original, West Haven-specific bill that lawyers for the city drafted, but it adds a requirement for a referendum, said Borer and state Rep. Steven Dargan, D-West Haven.

Committee leaders previously had substituted a more general bill. It drew wide criticism because it could open the door to consolidation in a number of other communities, including Middletown, Groton, Enfield and Stamford.

Borer said he was "comfortable" with a referendum.

Not everyone in West Haven was as comfortable with it.

West Shore Fire Chief William Kelly said he is concerned about whether each district would vote on its own fate or the whole city would decide. He opposes consolidation under the city but might consider consolidation into one fire district.

Kelly's concern is that voters citywide could determine the West Shore Fire Department's fate, he said.Esposito, who represents Allingtown and is chairman of the Allingtown Board of Fire Commissioners, did not return calls for comment.

Allingtown Fire Chief Elmer Henderson and the other two fire commissioners also were unavailable.

The Allingtown Board of Fire Commissioners held a meeting Feb. 28 to consider terminating the ailing district. It voted unanimously not to terminate "at this time."

Mark Zaretsky can be reached at mzaretsky@nhregister.com or 789-5722.