Photo by Eugene Driscoll
Ansonia firefighters at a garage fire on Thanksgiving Day 2021.
ANSONIA – The Board of Aldermen during its meeting March 8 unanimously approved increasing the annual tax abatement for volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel from $1,000 to $1,500.
The state legislature in 2018 approved proposed but did not move forward with increasing the amount by $500. The state originally passed a law in 2000 allowing municipalities to offer tax breaks up to $1,000 annually to its volunteer emergency personnel.
CORRECTION: State Rep. Kara Rochelle contacted The Valley Indy and pointed out that the amount was increased to $2,000 during the 2019 legislative session.
Ansonia passed an ordinance in 2001 adopting a tax abatement program here.
Aldermanic President Josh Shuart said Assistant Fire Chief Anthony DeLucia brought the matter to the Ansonia Fire Commission’s attention.
As chairman of the commission, Shuart said he in turn brought the finance department into the loop, along with Alderman Joe Jaumann, who chairs the ordinance committee, to discuss upping the abatement.
A subcommittee was formed, and it was decided to bump the abatement to $1,500 beginning with the new fiscal year on July 1. The committee will continue to meet, Shuart said, to discuss making some changes to the existing criteria that volunteers must meet in order to be eligible for the abatement.
The aldermen held a public hearing on the increase, just prior to their regular meeting March 8, and the proposal met with favorable reviews.
“They deserve every penny we can put aside for them. These are all part-time guys and they deserve everything we can give them. We have guys who have accumulated 60 or 70 years of service with the fire department. What they bring to the table is more than enough to qualify for anything we can set aside for them,” said Alderman Joe Cassetti.
There is criteria in place that volunteers must meet in order to qualify for a tax break, including years of service, number of calls responded to, training levels, number of functions they participate in (i.e. meetings, parades, Popcorn Ball Sunday, etc.), according to Chris Schwarz, a former first responder and current secretary for Eagle Hose. Schwarz said while all volunteers are eligible to receive the full abatement, “only a small amount will actually earn the full abatement.”
For example, Schwarz said under the current max allowed abatement of $1,000, just 10 percent of Eagle Hose volunteers received the full amount, while 50 percent received between $500 and $900 and 40 percent received less than $500.
Ansonia Chief Financial Officer Kurt Miller said there are 79 volunteers from the city’s five firehouses and Ansonia Rescue Medical Services, or ARMS, who are eligible for tax breaks next year. He said the city has budgeted about $70,000 for the program. That’s a drop in the bucket, Miller said, compared to the city having a full-time, paid fire and ambulance department, which would annually cost the city “several million dollars,” on par with the current police budget of $4.5 million.
Schwarz noted that offering a tax break to volunteers helps with recruitment and retention.
“Volunteerism, in general, is in decline and as it specifically relates to the fire department, we have seen a significant reduction over the last decade in the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters,” Schwarz said. “The tax abatement is one tool that can help attract new members and encourage existing members to continue responding to calls.”
Schwarz cited examples of the decline in membership over the years. Some 15 years ago, for example, the total amount of abatements earned by Eagle Hose volunteers was $44,000. Just five years ago, Schwarz said that number dropped to $28,000, and last year, just over $14,000 in abatements were earned at Eagle Hose.
Schwarz added that in addition to responding to hundreds of calls every year, day and night, volunteers must keep up with numerous hours of training and certification in order to continue responding to calls, and they do so without a paycheck.
“If we ever reached the point where we needed a career fire department, the city would have to budget millions of dollars to staff the department,” Schwarz said. “The tax abatement is a small price to pay for the services rendered.”
Fire Chief Dan Mudry, who ultimately signs off on the volunteers’ eligibility status, said offering a break to those who put their lives on the line is a good thing.
“The tax abatement is good for the volunteers because it makes their efforts more appreciated,” Mudry said. “People really don’t notice volunteer fire departments unless we’re called for an emergency.”
