Four of Five Enfield Fire Districts Considering 2027 Merger

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  The sample assessed value is based on my Southwood Acres home assessment. I live in the Hazardville Fire District. I'm using it for illustrative purposes. Take these figures with a large grain of salt. This estimate was taken from the minutes of meeting and any proposal has a long way to go before it makes to a voter referendum. But they do give an idea of what might happen.  Four of Enfield’s five fire districts — Thompsonville, North Thompsonville, Hazardville, and Shaker Pines — are planning to consolidate, possibly by 2027. The districts have been meeting regularly and posting minutes of their discussions, which provide new details. This is an update to my previous post . I didn’t have the Consolidation Committee minutes at the time, but they provide necessary context. The minutes confirm that only four of the five districts are working on a merger. Enfield Fire District 1 is not part of this effort.This is new: The estimated combined tax rate for the four districts is 4...
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Enfield's charter revision: What will they do?



Enfield Conn., Middle Road

On Monday, the Town Council is expected to form a Charter Revision Commission. What little screaming nightmares will this group deliver?

A direct election of mayor

There are arguments for this. It might improve elections. We could see mayoral candidate debates, each sharing a vision for Enfield. Someone would now be responsible. Manchester made that change but limited the mayor's executive authority, retaining its town manager, which is probably best.

Budget referendums 

There's a little support on the council for this, but it would be a disaster for Enfield. Our community is too big and too complex to adopt a system that could lead to dramatic increases and decreases in spending, as polarized special interest groups battle it out. Referendums of this type usually get small turnouts. They also undermine the accountability of elected officials. Hopefully, the charter commission won't push this self-destruct button.

Charter in balance

The new Charter Revision Commission has the potential to reshape the structure of Enfield’s government. There may be a temptation for radical reform, or the Commission might opt to limit changes to administrative updates to the town’s charter. However, this could become politically dangerous if partisan interests begin to influence the revision process. Some of the appointed members are frequent speakers at Town Council meetings and have strong views on a range of issues. So, it's likely that the Commission will propose some major reforms, if a consensus emerges. Whatever this Commission proposes has to get Town Council and voter approval, likely during the November 2025 town election.
Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA

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