Are Fire District Taxes Fair in Enfield? No.

Thompsonville fire house

Everyone in Enfield gets a tax bill based on their property assessment, but here’s the puzzling reality: the amount you pay for fire protection depends entirely on your neighborhood.

Residents are taxed at different rates for fire protection, and the differences can be substantial. If I were a homeowner in Thompsonville, I’d be livid — and justifiably so, since they pay the most for the same service.

The reason is simple: Enfield has five separate fire districts. Each sets its own budget and mill rate — an outdated system that creates real inequities in our tax bills.

I have nothing but praise for Enfield’s emergency services — fire, police, and EMS. They’ve helped my family, and I’m grateful. The problem is how we pay for this help. We don’t charge people for police protection based on where they live — but we do for fire services.

Four of the Five Fire Districts May Consolidate

That may soon change. Multiple sources, both Democrats and Republicans, confirm that four of the five fire districts are working toward consolidation. It’s a complex process that includes working through union issues. (See update.)

One district — Enfield 1 — has not. I’ve written to the head of that district’s commission and will publish any response.

It’s unclear when — or even if — full consolidation will happen, or whether it’s truly workable with a holdout. But if it goes forward, it could be a major step toward tax fairness.

The Numbers Tell the Story

Your tax bill has two parts: the town-wide rate (31.5 mills) and your specific fire district’s rate.

Using my own home in Southwood Acres (Hazardville district) as an example — assessed at $144,300 (70% of market value) — here’s what the fire tax would be in each district:

Thompsonville: 5.8 mills ($837)

Shaker Pines: 4.0 mills ($577)

Hazardville: 3.6 mills ($519)

Enfield 1: 3.49 mills ($504)

North Thompsonville: 3.15 mills ($455)

So, a homeowner in Thompsonville pays about 84% more than one in North Thompsonville for the same level of fire protection — a difference of $381 each year on comparable properties.

These differences are hard to defend. Thompsonville does have higher housing density and more multifamily homes, but that alone doesn’t justify a system that penalizes people for living there with a disproportionately high fire tax.

Why Do We Have Different Rates?

Our fire districts are a legacy from the 19th century and the town’s early growth. The Thompsonville Fire Department, for instance, dates back to 1839 and claims to have had the first motorized fire engine in the U.S. But today, our fire and rescue services operate as part of a modern, coordinated emergency system — yet the funding structure is stuck in the past.

What Would Consolidation Do?

It’s not an easy question to answer. If Enfield merged its fire districts into one, simple math suggests an average fire mill rate of about 4.01 mills. That could mean Thompsonville homeowners save about $260 a year — while those in lower-taxed districts pay a bit more.

Of course, that’s only a rough estimate. A fair comparison needs real data.

The Data We Don’t Have (Yet)

Key details still missing include:

-- Total assessed property value by district

-- Budgets and expenses by district

-- Service levels

-- Equipment inventories and replacement plans

-- Overlapping costs

Without this information, any blended rate is just a guess. But the core question remains: should different neighborhoods pay different amounts for the same essential service?

Two Questions We Need to Answer

Is it fair to charge different tax rates for the same service?
→ The answer is obvious: it’s not fair.

Can we maintain excellent fire protection through consolidation?
→ Our fire department already functions as a coordinated system, so yes.

Clarity is Needed and Maybe Audits

The fire district system is insulated from direct Town Council oversight. Boards of fire commissioners are elected, but turnout can be extremely low — in the last Enfield 1 election, the top vote-getter received just 62 votes. 

Update: Are fire commissioners paid? Originally, I wrote that might be a possibility but I did not know whether it was true or not. With further research, I cannot find any evidence in meeting minutes or the budgets that commissioners are paid. There's no separate line items for commission payments. I'll send a note to the various districts to find out for sure. The bylaws of this fire district allow it, at its Annual Meeting or any special meeting, to adopt ordinances "defining the duties and compensation of its officers." That would seem to suggest payment is possible, but it would take action and the evidence doesn't turn up in the written records. 

Time to act 

If separate fire districts add unnecessary taxpayer costs, it’s time to fix it. Next year’s revaluation may bring another tax jump for homeowners, so the time to plan for efficiency is now.

If four fire districts are willing to consolidate, Enfield 1 should join them. Fair taxes for everyone only work if every district participates. If Enfield 1 holds out, the system remains unfair, and taxpayers continue to pay the price for an outdated arrangement.

Appendix: How to Calculate Your Fire District Tax

Your tax bill combines the property and fire district mill rates into the final bill. But if you want to break out your fire tax, you only need two numbers: the fire district mill rate (on your bill) and your home’s assessed value.

For example, if your property is assessed at $144,300:

Convert the mill rate to a decimal: 5.8 mills = 0.0058 (the Thompsonville district rate in this example).

Multiply your assessed value by the mill rate: $144,300 × 0.0058 = $836.94.

To make this simple: plug your assessment figure and fire district mill rate into Perplexity.com or any AI tool and ask it to calculate your fire tax.