At issue was a request for $1.7 million for engineering and design plans for a new central fire station. Republican council members supported the request; the Democratic majority did not.

The compromise was worked out last week during a meeting of the council's Planning Committee and put into action Tuesday.

Council President Michael Coffey, D-At-Large, said he is "skeptical" that a new central station must be built. "But I will look at it," he said, asking that the $1.7 million be deleted from the capital budget and a committee be formed to study the needs of the Fire Department.

"I thought we made a case" for constructing a central station on Fairfield Avenue at the old Wheels Bus building, said Mayor Richard Moccia, a Republican. "Now, we have a new scenario."

Minority leader Douglas Hempstead, R-District D, noted, "We have had a difference of opinion on the firehouse. The Fire Department has made a case, but we need to move forward one way or the other."

The agreement to delete the funding and study the infrastructure needs of the department "is better than just saying 'no,'" Hempstead added. "We want the best facility that's required for public safety and the department."

Moccia said the city has grant requests pending at the state and federal levels to help fund a new or renovated central station. If funding from either source is approved, "I want to be able to accept them and say, 'we have a plan,'" he said.

Although the city had been planning to renovate the Volk Central Fire Station at 121 Connecticut Ave. and the bus depot, which is now used as the fire support services facility, for an estimated $4.1 million based on recommendations made by the Matrix Consulting Group, in December Moccia announced that a review of the project by members of his staff and the Fire Commission had led him to believe that the renovations would be "woefully inadequate" to meet the department's needs.

Fire Chief Denis McCarthy supports the building of a new central station. He believes that renovating the Volk station would be an unwise use of funds. In his capital budget request, McCarthy noted that the Volk station occupies less than 1 acre of land while the bus depot offers more than 2 acres. A new building, he believes, would allow the department to centralize all of its operations.

However, Coffey said before any funds are spent, he wants to look at "an augmentation of the Matrix study," which was conducted in 2004 to assess the management and operations of the department. He added that "there are no hard numbers" in the budget proposal; "some are very soft."

The department's 2007-08 capital budget request would include $12 million for construction of the new fire headquarters.

Hempstead, who is a member of the new study committee, said he appreciates the time McCarthy put into his proposal, and he pledged to deliver a decision "in six months or less." The other members of the committee are Moccia, Coffey, McCarthy, Public Works Director Harold Alvord, Planning Commission Chairman Walter Briggs and council member Carvin Hilliard, D-District B.

The $11.4 million budget is an increase of approximately 12.9 percent from 2005-06.

Other changes made to Finance Director Thomas Hamilton's $12.5 million recommended capital budget include the restoration of a $50,000 request for retaining walls that had been deleted in previous budget meetings and an increase of $10,000 for tree planting for a total of $25,000, both for the Department of Public Works; an increase of $275,000 for education technology, bringing the total to $875,000; an increase of $50,000 for affordable housing, for a total of $250,000 from an original request of $525,000; and an additional $75,000 for open space, bringing the total to $100,000.

Kelly Straniti, R-District D, said she's supported open space funding for many years. "I'm happy to put a little bit more in, especially with the work on the White Barn" property. Straniti represents the Cranbury area of Norwalk, where the White Barn Theater property is located. The 18-acre site is for sale for $5 million, and supporters hope at least some of the land can be purchased from the buyer and preserved for open space.

Coffey added, "$100,000 isn't what it used to be, but we've quadrupled what we used to" provide for open space acquisition. "I hope we're still successful with the White Barn effort."

The council will set the tax rate and appropriate the operating budget for 2006-07 on May 1.