The Ansonia Board of Aldermen recently took a step in the right direction and approved increasing the annual tax abatement for volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel from $1,000 to $1,500 on March 8. I want to thank our State Representative, Kara Rochelle, for making it possible for the Aldermen to give this increase, by co-sponsoring and advocating for the State bill that raised the abatement to $2,000, and working to achieve unanimous bipartisan support to get it passed by the legislature.
This is not surprising. Rep. Rochelle has always been strong in her support of our first responders, and was recognized last year with the CT State Firefighters Association’s Legislative Award. Several months ago, she wrote and passed a bill to provide State funds for Fire I training for Ansonia, Derby, and other volunteer departments in distressed municipalities like ours. As a leading voice in the legislature on fire issues, Rep. Rochelle is currently leading the fight for a tax deduction for stipends paid to volunteer firefighters and ambulance members, payments to volunteer fire companies for responding to calls on limited access highways, and of course for the construction of the Valley Fire School, a more than 20-year battle she inherited. Make no mistake, she is a strong advocate who leads with professionalism, dedication, and a deep base of knowledge to support the fire service.
We should thank our volunteer first responders for their service whenever we have the chance. As one of the Aldermen said at the meeting, “whatever we pay these firemen…it’s not enough. And they deserve every penny we can put aside for them.” I couldn’t agree more, which is why I was surprised to hear that the Board of Aldermen, who could have increased the abatement to $2000, chose not to take this action. When questioned about this, CFO Kurt Miller said the city does not anticipate increasing the abatement to $2000 until 2024.
There is no good reason to wait until 2024. In fact, according the language of the bill, the $1500 abatement could have been given to our first responders last year, and the $2000 abatement given this year.
The city has budgeted $70,000 for the abatement this year; by my math, if the Aldermen had approved the full increase, the cost would be roughly $93,000, only a $23,000 difference. With a recently reported $1M surplus in the city budget, increased town aid from the state, and unspent federal ARPA funds, I simply don’t understand why our first responders are being denied the property tax relief they have earned. Per the state statute, our first responders could — and should — receive $2,000 in tax abatement with the bills they will receive for this fiscal year.
I hope that the Republican-majority Board of Alderman will follow Rep. Rochelle’s lead and fully fund the tax abatement to the maximum amount of $2,000 this year. Our first responders deserve all of the resources the city has at its disposal. I don’t think there is a single person in the city who would object.
John Feddern
Chairman
Ansonia Democratic Town Committee
