Voters to Decide on Police Station Bond in Berlin

Voters will decide in November whether to approve a $21 million bond to build a new police station on Farmington Avenue, The New Britain Herald reported.

A petition that rescinded the Town Council’s decision to approve the bonding was submitted and verified by Town Clerk Kate Wall, forcing a mandatory referendum.

The bonding was approved in early August where the council’s majority Democrats outvoted their Republican counterparts, 4-3. The GOP began petitioning for a referendum after the vote, according to the publication.

Republicans said that a referendum would engage the voters, allowing them to make a decision on the large spending.

The New Britain Herald reports that the Berlin Property Owners Association are in favor of keeping the department in its current location by cutting staff and getting rid of unnecessary military equipment.

Police Chief Paul Fitzgerald told the publication that he disagrees with the suggestion.

The Berlin Police Department will hold an open house on Sept. 13 at 9 a.m., where citizens will be able to see the current space and equipment.

Read the full story at The New Britain Herald.

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