300 come out for West Shore budget forum

05/06/2006

Peggy Schenk , Register Staff

WEST HAVEN — A budget plan that would increase West Shore Fire District spending in 2006-07 by 13.5 percent drew an emotional crowd of nearly 300 to the 88th annual district meeting on Friday. So many showed up that the 6:30 p.m. session was adjourned by order of Fire Marshal Harold Burn from the tiny department to Baily Middle School, where district residents regrouped to cast their votes on the district’s $7.82 million proposed spending plan, an increase of $933,458.

It was the first time anyone could remember that so many had come out to discuss and vote on the budget.

Fire Commission Chairwoman Mary "Tina" Peckingham pointed to several areas of proposed spending causing the increase, including a firefighting school, a new line item of $15,000; workers’ compensation, $289,560, an increase of $76,560; a pension payment of $1.36 million, an increase of $22,000, along with an $840,000 item for pension unfunded liability, an increase of $440,000; and a contingency of $347,978, an increase of $164,978.

Of concern among most who were against the proposed spending was the underfunded pension, which is $30 million in the red, Peckingham said.

"I understand what you are going through," she said to the crowd. "I live in the district too. But we have to fund it," she said of the pension, "whether there’s a fire department or not. It’s $30 million in debt. If we fully funded it for 28 years, it would be fully solvent."

But Mark Milano, an attorney who lives in the district said the pension is too high and should be reworked to make it more affordable to taxpayers.

"The plan is outdated and must be revamped," he said. "Until the pension is fixed, we should not be throwing taxpayer money into it."

The results of the voting were not available at press time.