Public Information Meeting Prompts Discussion on Taxes and Fire Districts

Roughly three dozen residents, elected officials, and Town of Enfield Staff gathered at Henry Barnard School Monday evening to participate in the quarterly Public Informational Meeting to discuss goals and issues facing Enfield. It was the first such meeting for the newly elected Town Council and was held in advance of their upcoming goal setting meeting.

The issue of the snowstorm and power outage last month was prominent in the minds of residents, who both praised the town's emergency preparedness, and offered suggestions for improving communications in the future. With phone, internet, and electricity all knocked out by winter storm Alfred, getting emergency information to residents was a challenge.

Mayor Scott Kaupin, who served as moderator for the meeting said the Everbridge notification system worked well, especially if the notifications were sent to multiple email and telephone accounts. He also noted that updates were relayed to WTIC AM 1080 for those relying on battery powered radios for information. The Asnuntuck radio station received power on the Saturday following the storm so could not be used effectively.

“We need to find ways, out of the box, to communicate,” said Mayor Kaupin. The idea for generator operated message board was floated. Kaupin also said that ham radio operators were used in the latest outage.

Enfield resident Pam Townsend praised the emergency contact system which allowed her to relay information to her mother via cellphone during the outage.

“We were in Florida during the storm, but my mother resides with us, she's 83 years old, and she was stuck in the house. If I hadn't connected with the email and emergency services she would not have known what was going on,” Townsend said.

Always on the mind of residents and brought out several times during the meeting was the issue of budget and taxes. In a moment of great coincidence or supernatural intervention, the easel holding the pad upon which Kaupin took notes on the meeting tumbled at the precise moment Charlie Woods recommended the budget be passed by town referendum if the increase exceeded a certain percentage.

Though many in the audience called on the town to hold the line on spending, a couple of dissenting voices urged that spending keep pace so that services do not dwindle. Of particular concern was education spending, and the need to continue and even expand the services offered by the library. Consolidation of the high schools will be a priority in the coming years, and the possible use of one of the buildings to house a community center and expanded library will be considered.

The need to provide a business friendly environment to keep and attract industry and development was raised. The issue of vacant and dilapidated houses sparked a discussion on the topic of redevelopment. Dominic Alaimo spoke of the need for private business to take the lead in renewal, specifically in Thompsonville.

“There is a proof about spending government money, it was called urban renewal. It never got done, it was a waste of $50 million, it's called urban destruction,” Alaimo said.

On the topic of taxes, the issue of the fire districts was raised. Enfield has five separate fire districts each with taxing authority. Kaupin explained the Town Council has no authority concerning the districts, and any changes to the structure would have to take place on the level of the districts. Changing the structure would require a grassroots movement to dissolve a district, and petition to have the existing properties brought into another fire district's purview.

“The authority for changing the fire districts rests with you [the residents], if you want to change the fire districts, do it. It's not the town's responsibility, it's not the State's responsibility. Everyone thinks the town can wave a magic wand, but each district has its own commissioners,” Kaupin said.