Norwich ― Final City Council budget adjustments Monday night to capital spending came with the same rancorous, partisan debate and accusations that colored budget talks this spring.
The 90-minute debate focused on Democrats’ move to shift $56,585 in capital funding from renovations to the Taftville Volunteer Fire Department’s kitchen to fund the final amount needed to order a $1.2 million pumper firetruck for the central city paid fire department.
That brought to the surface long-running friction between the city’s paid and volunteer fire departments.
Republican Mayor Peter Nystrom accused Democratic Council President Pro Tempore Joseph DeLucia of proposing the budget changes to benefit the paid city fire union, which had contributed $4,500 to the Democratic slate of candidates in the 2023 election.
Nystrom asked DeLucia directly what is the relationship between the campaign donation and his proposal to spend $1.2 million to replace the 20-year-old Squad A firetruck. Nystrom said the 2021 fire services study supported by Democrats recommended replacing Squad A with a medical response vehicle.
“There’s no relationship whatsoever,” DeLucia responded. “I object, and frankly I admonish you, mayor, for accusing me on the floor of the council, for the second time, that my vote can be bought on any issue. I assure you, it cannot. ... Your comments are completely out of order and they’re offensive and they’re beneath the office of the mayor.”
DeLucia said needs have changed since the 2021 fire study, and replacing the Squad A truck is the biggest need currently. The truck is the most heavily used vehicle for the Norwich Fire Department, Chief Tracy Montoya told the council. The truck is being funded through a combination of capital improvements allocations and $644,469 from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act grant ― the subject of another heated debate Monday.
The council voted 4-3 along party lines to fund the firetruck over the kitchen, with the majority four Democrats ― DeLucia, Aldermen Mark Bettencourt, Swaranjit Singh Khalsa and Alderwoman Shiela Hayes ― in favor. Nystrom was joined by Republican Alderwoman Stacy Gould and Alderman William Nash in opposition.
Gould strongly objected to elimination of the $56,585 that would be the final capital allocation needed to start work on the estimated $153,000 plan to upgrade the Taftville Volunteer Fire Department kitchen.
The kitchen’s stove hood does not comply with international building code, prohibiting the fire department from cooking for any function with nonmembers in attendance.
Gould and Nystrom championed the Taftville kitchen funding, arguing that the building is owned by the city and it made no sense for a city-owned firehouse to not meet fire codes.
“It’s a building for a volunteer fire department that serves this city with honor and distinction and is being proposed not to have compliance with the fire code,” Nystrom said. “The irony of that, I don’t think is lost on anyone. To sit here and debate whether that should be done or not, I find that appalling.”
Gould stressed that without a community center in the area, the Taftville fire station has provided free space for girl and boy scout troops, the Relay for Life cancer fundraiser and other groups. Without the kitchen upgrades, those groups could not cook meals there for their functions.
Gould also objected to Democrats’ moves to divert $56,686 in federal community development block grant funding for the kitchen upgrade to fund a section of much-needed new sidewalks in Taftville. Gould said $56,000 would not fund any significant length of sidewalks, and the move now pitted Taftville sidewalks advocates against fire department supporters.
Republican Nash joined Democrats in supporting the sidewalk funding shift, for a 5-2 vote in favor of spending $56,585 on the Taftville sidewalks instead of the kitchen upgrade.
Norwich Fire Chief Montoya, the city’s fire marshal, said Taftville still can hold its regular Sunday pancake breakfasts, cooking the food outside.
Montoya and some Democrats said funding the firetruck takes top priority over the years-long deficiency in the Taftville fire station kitchen. The truck is needed for firefighting, while the kitchen is a community service item.
“It’s not that I don’t want them to be compliant. It’s a matter of priorities,” Montoya said, “If you’re implying that we don’t want Taftville to be compliant or be able to serve the community, The city fire department serves with honor and distinction too.”
Alderman Bettencourt raised another contentious issue. He noted that Taftville department leaders signed onto a letter that threatened legal action against the city for its November 2023 policy calling for automatic mutual aid to fires by the city paid department into the volunteer districts and for volunteer districts to respond to city fires.
The letter prompted City Manager John Salomone to cancel regular meetings with all fire chiefs to discuss matters such as fire equipment and apparatus replacement.
“I am not going to sign onto anything for that department other than what they need until such time they renounce that letter,” Bettencourt said.
c.bessette@theday.com
Most Popular
Comments / 0