I have lived (owned a home) in Norwich's Central Consolidated District (CCD) area‎ for the past 24-plus years and this fire tax issue has existed for this time and longer. Former City Manager William Talman tried to address the issue and suffered politically for it. I have what seems to me to be a fairly simple solution. If the five current volunteer fire departments wish to continue to exist autonomously, then the city should create five additional fire tax districts. This way each area served by a specific fire department can support their respective department financially.

Currently as a CCD homeowner I pay additional taxes each time the city bonds the money to purchase a piece of volunteer department fire apparatus. How is this fair? The City of Middletown has three separate fire departments and each one has its own taxing district and each pays for their respective fire department. This seems simple and fair. I would encourage Norwich to follow suit.

Patrick T. McMahon

Norwich