Stamford Mayor Malloy Raises Taxes

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Stamford Advocate 02 July 2007

Fire mergers have property tax implications

By Donna Porstner

Staff Writer

July 2, 2007

STAMFORD - Residents in the Glenbrook, Belltown and Turn of River volunteer fire districts now pay slightly more property tax because those departments are merging with Stamford Fire & Rescue.

The merger calls for shifting 32 firefighters from downtown firehouses to the three volunteer departments.

Mayor Dannel Malloy said he included the cost of the additional manpower in the volunteer districts in the mill rates for the fiscal year that started yesterday.

"It's already done, and it's really pennies," Malloy said. "It's not a significant shift, and it's a much higher level of service."

The increased staffing will cost taxpayers in the CS tax district 50 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value, according to estimates provided by the Office of Policy and Management.

For the owner of home assessed at $200,000, it's an additional $102 a year in taxes.

Residents in the volunteer districts, where volunteers are supplemented by paid firefighters, still will pay less than residents of the A tax district, which has entirely paid fire protection. They will pay $1.92 for every $1,000 of assessed value for fire protection.

Residents in the A district, in the southern portion of the city protected by Stamford Fire & Rescue, will pay $3.10 per $1,000 because their departments still will have more firefighters.

The merger calls for staffing volunteer departments with three or four paid firefighters on every shift, up from one or two. Stamford Fire & Rescue has at least 46 firefighters on duty at all times - from four to 14 firefighters at each firehouse, depending on the apparatus stored there.

"The districts only pay for the coverage they are actually receiving," Malloy said. "It's based on the level of service provided."

Malloy presented the merger as a way to save more than $500,000 a year after the Board of Finance and the Board of Representatives reduced his budget request by $12.5 million - taking $7.4 million out of the government side and $5.1 million from schools.

Glenbrook and Belltown agreed to the merger, but Turn of River filed a court injunction trying to block it. The hearing in state Superior Court in Stamford is scheduled for July 9.

Staffing at the Springdale and Long Ridge firehouses will not change. Springdale already is staffed by Stamford Fire & Rescue personnel and Long Ridge has a separate agreement with the city.

Malloy has threatened to lay off five of Turn of River's 17 paid firefighters - nearly 30 percent of its paid staff - if the department does not agree to the change.Ê

Malloy has said the merger will generate savings largely because it will reduce overtime spending in the volunteer departments.

Glenbrook, Belltown and Turn of River combined spent $700,000 on overtime in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2006. Stamford Fire & Rescue spent nearly $1.9 million in the same period.

Malloy targeted the volunteer companies for more than $500,000 in savings after the Board of Finance cut $850,000 from the Office of Public Safety, Health and Welfare budget.

It was a general budget reduction, which means the mayor and his cabinet decide what gets cut.

The money could have come out of accounts for police, Stamford Fire & Rescue, the health department or social services, but Malloy choose to take it from the volunteer departments, saying the staffing arrangement is inefficient.

The Board of Representatives then cut $300,000 from the government side of the budget, which put additional pressure on Malloy to reduce costs.

Malloy said Friday there would be no staffing changes had elected officials approved the budget proposal he released in March.

The $413.5 million city and school spending plan, coupled with the 2006 property revaluation, would have raised taxes by 13.5 percent for most homeowners.

"Remember, the budget I presented didn't require any of this," he said. "Now I am asked to save $7 million and I am doing it, and doing it without complaint, I might add."

The final $401.1 million city and school budget approved by the Board of Representatives in May represents a 3.3 percent increase in spending.

City Rep. Scott Mirkin, R-13, who has constituents in the Turn of River fire district, said they will want to know if they are entitled to a credit or refund for the higher tax rate should Turn of River not merge with Stamford Fire & Rescue.

"After the mill rate is set, by Charter, can it be adjusted?" Mirkin asked. "I don't know if it's ever been done before. We're always going into uncharted territory around here."

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