Norwalk committee advances FY2025–26 capital budget; highlights include firehouse addition, police fleet replacement, Wall Street work and digital permitting

Norwalk’s Economic & Community Development Committee on April 3 voted to advance the FY2025–26 capital budget to the Common Council for approval after hearing requests and presentations from police, fire, transportation, information technology, schools and redevelopment staff.

Committee members and department leaders debated several large and high-profile requests before voting to advance the package to the council. The committee recorded a unanimous vote to forward the capital plan; the action moves the proposed projects into the council review and appropriation process rather than authorizing immediate spending.

What was on the table

- Police: Chief Walsh told the committee the department requested $950,000 for FY25–26 to buy eight patrol cars and one prisoner transport van. He said patrol cars are estimated at $85,000–$90,000 each because of rising costs for vehicle outfitting, dash cameras and laptops; the prisoner-van retrofit was described in testimony as needing to meet seat-belt and camera requirements, with a retrofit estimate cited during the meeting in a range referenced by the chief.

- Fire: Chief Gatto presented seven capital projects. The largest is a renovation and addition to Station 4 (Westport Avenue) to increase on‑duty staffing from four to eight firefighters per shift; the department’s most recent cost estimate for that project is about $4,000,000. Gatto also said the department is seeking $2,900,000 for a replacement ladder truck (long lead time on manufacture) and $720,000 to complete a multi‑phase replacement of SCBA harnesses to meet updated NFPA breathing-apparatus standards.

- Transportation/Mobility/Parking: Jim Travers and TMP staff outlined a slate of projects including $900,000 for roadway design and reconstruction (multimodal safety and Complete Streets priorities), $150,000 for traffic-signal equipment including a signal for the new Norwalk High driveway, funding for new sidewalks (city request narrowed to $1,000,000 with design funding prioritized if external grants arrive), and a reduced $250,000 for Safe Routes to School improvements. Travers noted a federal appropriation for Wall Street and work to advance phase 2 design; the department also requested matching-city funds to accept and deliver a WestRock sidewalk federal grant (ongoing bid process) and an East Avenue corridor planning/design allocation.

- Information Technology: City IT requested $625,000 for a package of priorities: a mobile-data refresh for patrol cars ($90,000), $285,000 for a citywide technology refresh (servers, employee laptops, public library hardware and meeting equipment), $200,000 for cybersecurity redundancy (a second firewall and alternate ISP) and $50,000 to upgrade the server room at City Hall.

- Digital permitting and licensing: Planning and development staff and consultants described the city’s online permitting project (RFP to be issued soon). Departments sought $500,000 to implement a comprehensive online permitting and licensing platform to consolidate permitting across building, planning, health, DPW, special events and other offices. Staff emphasized cross-departmental buy-in and said the platform would allow customers to submit plans and documents, schedule inspections and track permit status; the projected live date given the work plan was early 2027.

- Board of Education: The BOE presented a series of capital needs including a $265,000 pilot and maintenance request for ambient AI-enabled security camera monitoring and maintenance, $300,000 for updated K–12 literacy and other curricular materials, ongoing instrument purchases for band and strings, $250,000 for middle-school locker replacement (three schools on an adjusted schedule) and targeted roof/abatement and HVAC-related requests. The BOE said asbestos abatement work at a school is needed before certain roof and HVAC projects proceed and asked for timelines if approved.

Key debates

Station 4 and response times: Council members pressed the fire department for data on response-time improvements if Station 4 is expanded. Fire officials said Engine 4 answered roughly 1,790 calls in 2024 (1,908 in 2023) and that the large district has regular coverage gaps when a company is on a call, creating repeated need to relocate a company from another district. Chief Gatto and staff argued the addition and relocation of a ladder company would reduce second-unit response times and provide redundancy for emergency medical and fire responses. Council members asked for more detailed performance metrics; staff said they could provide records and run additional reports.

Costs, timing and procurement: Council members repeatedly asked whether price commitments could be locked in (chiefs and procurement staff said vehicle and apparatus contracts often lock a price once a purchase contract is executed, even with multi‑year lead times). Several members also appealed to the difficulty of locking in multi‑million-dollar projects while the city manages competing priorities.

Board of Education facilities: Council members asked BOE staff about the timing and scope of West Rock Middle School repairs, the planned Wolfpit abatement/air-conditioning sequencing and how the 25‑year facilities plan interfaces with immediate repair needs. BOE staff said some roof and HVAC grants are already secured for certain schools but that other projects require abatement or further design work to proceed.

Committee action and votes at a glance

- Motion: Advance the FY2025–26 capital budget to the Common Council for approval with the noted amendments. Mover (per transcript): Council member Speth. Outcome: approved, unanimous (5–0). The vote advances the proposed plan to the council for formal appropriation decisions; it does not authorize immediate spending on specific projects.

What’s next: The Common Council will review and act on the capital package; individual capital projects typically return for further approvals, contract awards, grant acceptances and scheduling. Departments committed to provide additional data and timelines where council members requested them (for example, fire response metrics and BOE abatement schedules).