Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:12 AM EST
by Abbe Smith, Register Staff
WEST HAVEN — West Haven Fire Department Chief James P. O'Brien says fire district consolidation language he proposed to the Charter Revision Commission would allow for consolidation, but not empower the city to take over the three districts.
He said voters were misled five years ago into thinking that if charter revision passes, the three districts would consolidate automatically.
"It's two different processes," he said.
The issue of whether to consolidate the fire districts has been hotly debated for many years and has taken the forefront during charter revision discussions. O'Brien submitted proposed consolidation language to the Charter Revision Commission after participating in two meetings with fire chiefs and fire commission chairmen from the three districts.
The proposed language states that the city "shall have the ability to operate a fire department if deemed necessary and in accordance with all applicable (state statutes)." It further states that a unified fire department must be "mutually agreed upon by all parties," including each fire district and the City Council.
O'Brien said the language will have to be reviewed and reworked, if necessary, by the corporation counsel. The charter cannot be revised to incorporate the proposed language without approval by voters in the city.
"We are trying to do it the right way this time," O'Brien said.
Robert Sandella, vice chairman of the Charter Revision Commission, said the commission is still in the information-gathering stage.
"We are obviously going to debate the language and discuss any changes," he said.
Sandella said he believes that the commission will present some sort of language regarding fire district consolidation to the voters, and the question is what will the language say.
The three fire districts represented by the chiefs and fire commission chairmen have met twice to discuss consolidation and will meet a third time Dec. 10, this time with the volunteer firefighters included in the discussion. All of the meetings are open to the public, although there is no opportunity for public comment. O'Brien said the public definitely will have the chance to comment on the proposed changes before they are voted on at a public hearing in the future.
The three districts each are looking into different aspects of consolidation. The West Shore District is looking at the underfunded pensions and the cost of insurance.
Allingtown is researching the state statute governing consolidation and the legal aspect of the process would occur. And the Center District is considering staffing issues and how the department would operate as one entity.
O'Brien warned that it is unlikely that consolidation will save taxpayers money in the short term. A determining factor in whether to consolidate, however, will be whether the move is cost effective in the long run.
Officials will have to look at how consolidation will affect taxes and fire service. How the move would affect firefighters' careers and safety also will be considered.
"We would not be in favor of cutting manpower," he said.
John Biancur, chairman of the West Shore Fire Commission, said he and Chief David Collins are happy with the language proposed by O'Brien.
"The part that was appealing to me is it said consolidation has to be mutually agreed upon by all parties," he said.
Biancur said some people involved with discussions on the question of consolidation had wondered if it could be done piecemeal, with two districts supporting the idea and one opposing.
However, he warned that if two districts voted to consolidate under the city, the third district that chose to remain a separate district, and therefore separate taxation district, would be overtaxed. Under the language proposed, that could not happen.
Allingtown Fire Chief Peter Massaro indicated at the last Charter Revision Commission meeting that he thought the proposed language was "fair."
Abbe Smith can be reached at asmith@nhregister.com or 789-5615.
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