Philip Crombie, Jr., Deputy Chief of the South Windsor Fire Department, agreed with Mr. Hankard
Statistics were then provided by Mr. Crombie in order to highlight the importance of the Tax Abatement Program in their recruitment and retention efforts. There are currently 91 active members of the Department. There are an additional 15 young people in the Fire Departmenthave completed, or are currently enrolled in, a 140-hour program to be certified with the State of Connecticut as a firefighter.
Continuing, Mr. Crombie stated that 32 of the 91 members are less than 30 years of age and another 24 are between 30 and 39 years of age. It is his hope that some type of incentive similar to the Tax Abatement Program will help keep them active volunteers in the Department.
Judy Carino, Ellington Road, a 19-year veteran of the South Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Corps, thanked the Council for their support in the Tax Abatement Program. She said that the money does come in handy, but the first concern is the welfare of the people of South Windsor. She spoke of the difficulty in keeping volunteers in the EMS field. She then asked that the Council do whatever can be done to maintain the Program, and she offered her assistance.
Prior to calling for a Straw Vote, Mayor Aman noted that this would be a difficult vote, since a positive vote would seem to indicate a desire to repeal the Ordinance, which is not actually the case. However, at this point, there is no choice.
The results of the Straw Vote were as follows:
Those in favor of the Town Council repealing the Ordinance - 7
Those against the Town Council repealing the Ordinance - 0
The Public Hearing was closed at 8:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Merlyn P. Guild
Assistant to the Clerk of the Council
