Norwich — The Charter Revision Commission voted 6-1 Thursday not to recommend spreading the central city paid fire department tax citywide, with some members saying it’s up to city administrators and the mayor to bring tax relief to property owners downtown and citywide. 

The so-called unified city fire tax was the most controversial issue being considered by the charter commission. With more than 20 people in the audience Thursday — many of them volunteer firefighters and supporters — the commission voted to not recommend spreading the central city fire tax to the five volunteer fire districts. 

In an addendum to the motion, the commission stated that “tax relief should be explored administratively through the budget process.” 

Under the current city tax system, property owners in the central city fire district, called the City Consolidated District, pay a fire tax of 7.38 mills to cover the paid fire department, while property owners in the volunteer districts, the Town Consolidated District, pay 0.49 mills to cover pensions and workers’ compensation insurance to volunteer firefighters. All property owners also pay the general citywide property tax rate of 38.55 mills. 

The Charter Revision Commission received extensive input from both the volunteer fire chiefs and Norwich Fire Department Chief Kenneth Scandariato. On Thursday, the panel received several more documents, many relaying financial information about the fire tax and its impact. Charter commission member and former Mayor Arthur Lathrop called much of the information irrelevant to the charter commission’s task. 

Lathrop said the fire tax issue is “painful, but it’s not complicated.” He said most cities have a citywide paid fire service, a system that would be very costly to Norwich. He said the city’s five volunteer departments provide a “huge benefit to the city,” and he said “to me, that’s plain wrong” to ask volunteer district property owners to pay for the paid fire department. 

Charter commission member and former City Manager Richard Podurgiel suggested the city administration try to find ways to bring much-needed property tax relief to the CCD. Podurgiel suggested one possibility would be to split the 10 percent gross revenues the city receives from Norwich Public Utilities — $7.2 million this year — between the town and central city districts, bringing some $3.5 million to the central city coffers. 

Others rejected that concept but agreed that the city could find budgetary ways to reduce the fire tax burden. 

Charter Commission member Debra Dickey cast the lone dissenting vote on the fire tax recommendation. Dickey said she had mixed feelings about how to address the issue. The city’s paid fire department covers many facilities that benefit the entire city — including City Hall, Otis Library and Norwich Free Academy — and maybe there could be a way to cover the costs for those facilities. 

“I’m not saying I want the one-district tax,” Dickey said, “but I think there should be something.” 

Commission member Michael Gualtieri said submissions from the volunteer departments made the same arguments in reverse, as they cover city facilities, including parks, in their districts. 

After the vote, Yantic volunteer Fire Chief Frank Blanchard, who has led the volunteer departments’ opposition to spreading the fire tax, thanked and praised the commission for its extensive research into the fire tax issue. 

Blanchard agreed with commission comments that Norwich has a “unique system” of paid and volunteer departments, and he said the departments work well together when responding to emergencies. 

“Hopefully, we can continue to do what we have been doing for the past 168 years,” Blanchard said. 

Reached by phone after the meeting, Mayor Deberey Hinchey said she was “not surprised” by the charter panel’s vote but declined further comment. One year ago, Hinchey and Aldermen Sofee Noblick and William Nash had proposed two ordinances that would have declared fire service a general benefit to all taxpayers and spread the tax citywide. The ordinances were withdrawn amid strong opposition from volunteer fire departments and their supporters. 

The issue then was turned over to the Charter Revision Commission.

c.bessette@theday.com

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