SOUTHINGTON, CT — A bipartisan vote by the Southington Town Council Tuesday to reject more than $3 million in federal funding to hire additional firefighters has sparked a political firestorm, with Republicans criticizing Democratic council members and Democrats defending their decision over concerns about long-term costs.
All this despite the fact the council is controlled by the GOP, with two Republicans siding with three Democrats to nix the funds.
The council voted 5-4 Tuesday night against accepting a $3.03 million Federal Emergency Management Agency Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant that would have helped Southington hire 12 additional firefighters.
Despite Republicans holding a 6-3 majority on the council, the vote did not follow party lines.
Two Republicans joined all three Democrats in rejecting the grant, while four Republicans supported accepting the funding.
The decision came amid competing concerns about improving emergency response times and the town's ability to sustain the additional positions after federal funding expires.
Supporters argued the grant would help address longstanding staffing shortages, particularly at Fire Station 3, which serves southern Southington.
Opponents questioned whether the town could afford the permanent staffing costs once federal assistance ended.
Voting against accepting the grant:
• Democrat: Kristen W. Guida
• Republican: James W. Morelli
• Republican: Tony W. Morrison
• Democrat: Christopher J. Palmieri
• Democrat: David W. Zoni
Voting in favor of accepting the grant:
• Republican: Paul Chaplinsky Jr., council chairman
• Republican: Jennifer W. Clock, council vice chairwoman
• Republican: Michael DelSanto
• Republican: Joshua J. Serafino
The motion to accept the grant failed, 5-4.
Following the vote, Republican Councilman Joshua Serafino expressed frustration with the outcome in a Facebook post.
"I am extremely disappointed in tonight's votes against accepting the SAFER grant," Serafino wrote.
Serafino said residents repeatedly raised concerns about Southington Fire Department staffing when he campaigned door to door last fall.
He said he has attended all but one Southington Fire Commission meeting since the town budget was approved in May and questioned whether Democratic council members had done enough to understand the department's staffing challenges.
"At the meetings I attended, I have not seen a Democratic town council member there to ask questions or hear the discussions about staffing and coverage," Serafino wrote.
He also raised concerns about emergency response coverage in southern Southington.
"Station 3 is closed 75% of the time. Response times exceeding 11 minutes are unacceptable. Residents on the south side pay their taxes and deserve dependable emergency coverage," he wrote.
Those staffing and response-time figures were cited by Serafino and subsequently repeated by the Southington Republican Town Committee.
Serafino acknowledged that hiring 12 additional firefighters would create a continuing financial obligation for the town, but he argued that council members should develop a plan to address those expenses.
"Good leaders put in the work and find solutions. Voting no leaves us with the same staffing concerns and the same residents waiting for help," he wrote.
The Southington Republican Town Committee escalated the criticism Thursday, directing its objections at the three Democrats who voted against accepting the grant.
In a Facebook post, the committee called Palmieri, Zoni and Guida "flip-floppers," arguing they had supported applying for the SAFER grant but subsequently voted against accepting it.
"YES to applying. NO to accepting the funding. Southington's south side deserves better than flip-floppers," the committee wrote.
The Republican organization argued the grant would have helped provide more consistent staffing at Station 3 while reducing the financial burden on local taxpayers during the first three years.
"The ongoing costs require responsible planning. Good leaders put in the work and find solutions. Rejecting this funding leaves the coverage problem unresolved," the committee wrote.
The post challenged the three Democrats to explain how they intended to address staffing concerns without the grant.
The Republican town committee, however, did not mention Morelli and Morrison, the two GOP council members who joined the Democrats in rejecting the funding.
In a separate Facebook post, the committee criticized the Democrats over the geographic differences in fire coverage across Southington.
The organization asserted the three Democratic council members live within a four-minute travel coverage area of SFD headquarters while some southern neighborhoods fall outside an eight-minute travel coverage area when Station 3 is unstaffed.
"Must be nice to live within the four-minute travel coverage area while voting against a solution for residents who don't," the committee wrote.
The organization said its members remained committed to finding a long-term solution that supports both career and volunteer firefighters.
"The south side of Southington deserves better," the committee wrote.
Palmieri responded through the Southington Democratic Town Committee, issuing a statement on behalf of himself and his two Democratic colleagues explaining their opposition.
The Democrats said they reviewed the town's financial projections and concluded the grant would create significant long-term expenses.
"We have carefully reviewed the town's cost analysis, including the fire department's projected overtime savings. Those figures are the basis for our concerns," Palmieri said in the statement.
According to the financial projections cited by the Democrats, the town's share of the cost for 12 additional firefighters would be approximately:
• Fiscal year 2028: $807,000
• Fiscal year 2029: $925,000
• Fiscal year 2030: $1.73 million
• Fiscal year 2031: $2.45 million annually after federal funding expires
Palmieri said the fire commission had also identified expenses beyond what commissioners anticipated during a June 8 Southington Town Council meeting.
Although additional staffing could reduce overtime expenses, the Democrats said those savings would not eliminate the long-term financial impact.
"Even if every dollar of projected overtime savings is realized, however, the town's annual cost would increase from approximately $438,000 in the first year to $1.34 million in the third year and more than $2 million in the fourth year," the statement said.
The Democrats argued those costs must be weighed against other municipal obligations, including education, infrastructure, and other public safety services.
"That is a substantial, recurring obligation. We must consider it alongside our responsibilities to our schools, other public safety services, infrastructure, and the residents who fund all of these services," Palmieri said.
The Democratic council members also questioned whether future budgets could accommodate the positions without requiring tax increases or reductions in other services.
"We need a clear understanding of how future budgets would support these positions, including any potential tax increases or tradeoffs affecting other essential services," the statement said.
Palmieri said the Democrats remained committed to working with the SFD, town administration and other council members on a financially sustainable staffing proposal.
"We want a plan that gives our firefighters, our residents, and future Councils confidence that the positions we authorize today can be supported in the years ahead," the statement concluded.
The council's decision also drew criticism from the Southington Fire Department and the union representing the town's career firefighters.
Southington operates a combination fire department staffed by paid and volunteer firefighters.
The rejected grant would have provided federal assistance toward hiring 12 additional career firefighters, potentially improving staffing and emergency coverage.
For now, the grant's rejection leaves the town without the proposed federal funding for those 12 positions.
Council members on both sides of the vote have expressed support for addressing staffing concerns, but no alternative staffing or funding plan was identified in the statements provided.
From Oct. 14: 'Divided Southington Council Rejects Massive Grant To Hire More Firefighters'
From Oct. 12: 'Southington Firefighters Union Defends $3.03M Grant Ahead Of Crucial Council Vote'
From Oct. 1: 'Southington FD Celebrates Massive Grant, But Town Council Has Final Say'
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