Bill would provide tourism draws with ‘public safety grants’

Mystic would be among the likely beneficiaries

A bill that would provide grants to municipalities that incur tourism-related public safety costs has gained some traction in the General Assembly.

Groton and Stonington, which share Mystic, the state’s leading tourism draw, figure to be among the primary beneficiaries of the proposal, if it becomes law.

Approved unanimously last month by the legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee, House Bill 5481, whose co-sponsors include state Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, and state Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, has been referred to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee for further consideration.

The measure calls for the creation of a dedicated “tourism public safety account” that the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection would disburse to municipalities for fire, police and emergency services needed to support and manage tourism. It would divert to the fund 25% of the revenue generated by the state’s room occupancy tax on hotels, lodging houses and bed and breakfasts as well as the tax on meals and beverages.

Currently, the state levies a room occupancy tax of 15% on hotels and lodging houses and 11% on bed and breakfasts. The tax on meals and beverages is 1%.

The bill would require the commissioner of the state Department of Revenue Services to annually determine the amount of the room occupancy and meals-and-beverage taxes collected the previous year from establishments in each municipality. Grants would then be distributed accordingly starting in the 2026 fiscal year.

In that year, it’s estimated the grants would total $67 million, according to the legislature’s Office of Fiscal Analysis.

Municipal leaders in Groton and Stonington testified in favor of the bill during a public hearing last

month as did Peter Armstrong, president of Mystic Seaport Museum.

John Burt, Groton’s town manager, said his town has had to bolster its police presence at certain events to deal with the growing number of people who come to Mystic from all over the country and beyond. He said there has been a proportional increase in associated public safety issues.

“Public intoxication, vandalism, fighting, theft and congestion continue to increase, posing a significant challenge to local public safety resources,” Burt said in written testimony. “... (W)e simply do not have enough resources to meet the challenge.”

Groton Town Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Jr. said Wednesday a post-pandemic proliferation in the number of downtown Mystic bars and restaurants has necessitated a greater police presence. He said his department added a community policing position to deal with additional noise, traffic and parking complaints.

“Years ago, we would see a spike in activity from late April/early May through September,” he said. “In the last couple of years, it’s been more constant throughout the year.”

While the town bills organizations that host tourism-related events that require extra police, it doesn’t come close to recouping all its expenses.

Testifying before the public safety committee, Stonington First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough said her town deals with about 800,000 visitors a year while hosting more than 50 annual events, most of which require a police presence.

“During these events we have to provide public safety measures, operational plans, traffic control and we experience increased call volume in a condensed period of time,” she said. “This is also while responding to calls for service for our current population of 18,335.”

Bruce Flax, president of the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce, acknowledged Wednesday that tourism-related events in Mystic continue to grow, requiring more and more police response. The chamber makes “significant” payments to Groton and Stonington

for costs the towns incur but by no means pays all costs, he said.

“This is my fourth year,” Flax said. “I remember the Lighted Boat Parade my first year, there was no additional police. Now there’s more every year.”

Without additional revenue sources like the one House Bill 5481 would provide, such events eventually could be in jeopardy, he said.