‘This is not the way to conduct business’

Norwalk Common Council dissatisfied as $45.3M capital budget is approved

NORWALK — Emotions ran high as Norwalk’s Common Council approved a $45.3 million capital budget, with tensions rising over funding reallocation for the fire department.

“We all say this is the democratic way; this process was just as wrong as everything else we’ve been doing,” said Darlene Young, Common Council president.

“The process is flawed,” Young added.

In an effort to provide more financial support to Norwalk’s Fire Department to make improvements to Station Four, some Common Council members on Tuesday proposed cutting from other projects to reallocate funds to the fire department.

Originally, the fire department requested $3 million in the capital budget to renovate and add on to Station Four, which serves a large portion of the city in East Norwalk and Cranbury. This request was ultimately not included in the $45,367,280 million capital budget, although $175,000 was added to support fire station repairs.

After visiting the station, several Common Council members agreed the station was in need of immediate funds and attention. Other members argued city departments have already dug deep to cut their budgets and “arbitrarily” cutting their budgets at the last minute is unfair.

“I don’t really know how to express how I feel about tonight’s budget. I think I’m frustrated and a little bit heartbroken,” said Jenn McMurrer, Common Council member from District C who supported allocating more to the fire department.

While she said her family enjoyed events funded through the capital budget — like the Halloween party and Christmas tree lighting — she said the city should fund “needs,” not

“wants.”

“There are what I would call many ‘wants’ in this capital budget,” she said.

During the meeting, Nora Niedzielski-Eichner, the Majority Leader on the Common Council, made five separate motions to cut $500,000 of funding that could then be allocated to the fire department for building repairs that could include upgrades to Station Four. Two of the five motions passed, leaving $175,000 to be added to the fire department’s building and repairs fund.

With a tight 8 to 7 vote, the council voted to cut $25,000 from the Community Service’s ADA compliance line, leaving them $221,470 left in the budget.

In another 8 to 7 vote, the Common Council voted to eliminate the $150,000 allocated to the arts in public places program, which would have gone to 15 new murals.

While members like Niedzielski-Eichner, McMurrer, and Melissa Murray were vocal about cutting projects in order to fund some of the Fire Station 4 improvements, other Common Council

members were in support of simply cutting the budget further.

“I believe in this budget, we need to really look at the ‘needs’ of the city and anything that’s a ‘want,’ I feel like we should cut it,” said Jalin Sead, Common Council member from District A. “We have to look at the impact and get the feedback from the constituents and the impact that it’s going to have on their lives.”

The Common Council members agreed the city’s budget process is flawed and in need of more charter changes to involve the public.

“I’m honestly very disappointed in the way this was undertaken. I mean, this is completely unprofessional,” said Johan Lopez, Common Council member at-large.

“I want to make it very clear this is not the way to conduct business maybe it is historically, but you know I’m very surprised,” added Lopez. “But then again hopefully we’ll have these discussions going forward and there will be some changes that will take place. I’m going to do my best to make sure they actually occur.”

In an 11 to 4 vote, the Common Council passed the capital budget.