Norwich to weigh fire tax changes

November 14, 2014 11:00 pm • Last Updated: November 15, 2014 10:42 pm

By By CLAIRE BESSETTE Day Staff Writer

Norwich - The Charter Revision Commission will start tackling the most controversial issue on its agenda next week - whether to eliminate the city's dual fire tax system and enact one citywide fire tax combining the central city paid department costs with the much lower tax levied on residents of the five volunteer districts.

The issue has been hotly contested for years, and at times has given rise to rivalry conflicts between the city's paid department and the volunteer department. Each department is sovereign within its district, but relies on the others for mutual aid on many calls.

Currently, property owners in the central city fire district pay a fire tax of 7.38 mills, while property owners in the volunteer districts pay 0.49 mills to cover pensions for volunteer firefighters. All property owners also pay the general tax rate of 38.55 mills.

The Charter Revision Commission will hold a public hearing on the issue at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Charter Revision Commission Chairman Les King said no lengthy presentations will be allowed during the hearing, only comments from the general public and fire department representatives. Everyone will be limited to three minutes and those wishing to speak will be asked to sign up to determine the order of speakers. No exchanges or rebuttals among speakers will be allowed, King said.

The hearing will run until 9:30 p.m., and if necessary, the commission will schedule a second hearing. King "strongly recommended" residents submit written comments to the commission either in advance of the hearing or that night.

"We went through all the scenarios of whether we should have chiefs talk and have presentations," King said. "We decided to allow everybody three minutes each on the one-city tax."

However, on Dec. 4, the commission will hold a special meeting to ask all six fire chiefs to meet with the commission and discuss the fire tax issue, King said.

The Charter Revision Commission has an ongoing request posted on the city website, www.norwichct.org, but to date, only paid city Fire Chief Kenneth Scandariato has submitted comments on the fire tax.

Scandariato called it "a long overdue debate" to eliminate the central city "tax burden." Scandariato said the extra tax burden on central city properties is inhibiting economic development downtown and the tax has become archaic.

"True, the additional tax was originally slated to subsidize the fire services that protected the urban core," Scandariato wrote. "This was developed some 60+ years ago. Much has changed in our city since then. It has been repeatedly demonstrated over time that the career firefighters are, as are the police, a necessary component in the protection of the entire city."

But property owners in the volunteer districts have argued that they should not be asked to pay for the fire service they do not receive. City police cover the entire city, while fire departments respond to calls by district, with mutual aid called when needed.

Past charter commissions also have addressed the fire tax issue, but after heated debates decided to keep the current split tax system. In 1999, the then 11-member City Council appointed an 11-member charter commission with representatives from the volunteer and paid fire departments.

After months of study, the former commission voted 6-4 to reject a move to spread the fire tax, saying it likely would be defeated at referendum after a bitter, angry fight.

The new commission has a copy of that report, King said, and members will review it before making its recommendation.

The current Charter Revision Commission is scheduled to complete its work by April and make recommendations for charter changes to the City Council in time to have the questions placed on the Nov. 3 election ballot for referendum.

c.bessette@theday.com

Twitter: @Bessettetheday