Fire Chief Out, Wasson Scrapped, Senior Center Drawing on Reserves: Budget Night Roundup

The Board of Aldermen's April 22 budget deliberations were billed as a routine run of department presentations. Instead, the six-hour session produced some of the most consequential news Milford has heard all year — from the pending retirement of the entire Fire Department command structure to the quiet abandonment of a $4.9 million construction project this board voted to approve.

Fire Chief Fabrizi Retiring in May — And He's Not Alone

Fire Chief Anthony Fabrizi confirmed he will retire next month after nearly 33 years with the department. Assistant Chief Christopher Waiksnoris (31 years) and Assistant Chief Stephen Rabel (nearly 23 years) are also retiring this year, meaning Milford stands to lose its entire senior fire command in a single cycle.

Fabrizi revealed he submitted a formal proposal to stay — a deferred retirement option plan similar to what other Connecticut municipalities offer — but the city's counteroffer did not align with his terms.

Alderman Win Smith III, the aldermanic liaison to the Fire Commission, was blunt: "We're at risk of having grant writing impacted, EMS revenue impacted, and experience impacted. It's really unfortunate to see."

Perhaps more troubling: Fabrizi and his assistant chiefs said they have not been consulted on succession planning, despite the Fire Commission's most recent agenda listing "successor Fire Chief" as a discussion item.

Under Fabrizi's tenure, the department has secured approximately $818,000 in grant funding at a city buy-in of only $59,000, replaced its entire self-contained breathing apparatus complement, and maintained Milford's ISO Class 1 rating — a designation held by fewer than 500 of the roughly 47,000 fire departments nationwide.

The EMS Revenue Cap Fight

The fire department hit its $500,000 EMS revenue cap on April 2. Since that date, every dollar generated by EMS transports — roughly $1.735 million so far this fiscal year — has flowed directly into the city's general fund. The department is on pace to generate between $2.5 and $2.7 million in total EMS revenue this year.

Fabrizi has proposed removing the cap and phasing in a 60/40 split between city and department over three years. Smith III has pushed a more modest position: eliminate the cap but keep the existing 75/25 split.

"This EMS revenue cap benefits the city at the detriment to the fire department," Smith said. "That's all it is."

Smith publicly called on Mayor Rich Smith to present Fabrizi's proposal to the full board for a vote. As of Wednesday night, no such proposal had reached the aldermen.

Call Volume Doubled, Staffing Unchanged Since the 1970s

Fabrizi used his presentation to make a broader case: call volume has grown from roughly 4,500 annual calls when he joined the department in 1993 to 10,000 today. Staffing has not increased since the late 1960s or early 1970s. Approximately 70 percent of current calls are EMS-related.

The chief floated the possibility of a new fire station in the Boston Post Road corridor near the Post Mall to improve coverage, and noted that federal SAFER grants could underwrite the first three years of any manpower expansion.

Wasson Field Health Building Quietly Killed

Health and Human Services Director Deepa Joseph confirmed that the planned $4.9 million ARPA-funded health department building at the Wasson Field parking lot is no longer moving forward at that location.

The decision, Joseph said, was made "in the past couple of weeks" in discussions between herself, Mayor Smith, Public Works Director Chris Saley, the finance director, and the ARPA project manager. The Board of Aldermen was not consulted.

That answer did not sit well with aldermen who voted to authorize the project last year after what Alderman Win Smith Jr. described as a "fairly contentious" debate.

"This is the first time I'm hearing anything about it not proceeding," Smith Jr. said. "It's like there's something going on here."

Smith III asked that the board be brought into discussions about any alternate location before a decision is finalized. Joseph said she had no objection to presenting options once they are better defined. ARPA funds must be fully expended by December 31, 2026.

Senior Center Tapping Reserves to Pay Bills

Milford Senior Center Executive Director Leonora Rodriguez delivered the night's most emotional presentation, requesting a $120,001 increase that was not recommended by the mayor or Board of Finance.

Rodriguez disclosed that the center has already drawn $100,000 from its reserve account — currently $770,000 as of March — to cover health insurance premiums, pension contributions, and back invoices to vendors. Without the requested increase, she said, membership fees may rise from $25 to $35 and program offerings would shrink.

She also flagged a waiting list of more than 30 homebound seniors for the Meals on Wheels program. "I have homebound seniors who are hungry and cannot get their meals," Rodriguez told the board.

Center attendance has grown 91 percent since 2020 on what she described as a pre-pandemic operating budget. The center serves roughly 2,200 members, about 200 of whom come from neighboring towns.

Smith III pointedly noted that campaign literature distributed by the current administration during last year's mayoral race had attacked his opponent for raising senior center fees. Several aldermen — including Smith III, Alderman Bevan, and Alderman Fowler — voiced support for funding the full request.

Homelessness Up Sharply in Milford and the Region

Beth-El Center Executive Director Jennifer Paradis reported that homelessness in Connecticut has risen 44 percent since 2021, with unsheltered homelessness up 45 percent statewide in the past year alone and 80 percent in the Greater New Haven region that includes Milford.

Milford's most recent annual point-in-time count surveyed more than 100 people experiencing homelessness in a single eight-hour overnight window — a sharp increase from the few dozen counted in prior years. Beth-El's No-Freeze emergency winter program served 350 unique individuals this season, averaging 60 people per night and representing a 70 percent increase over last winter.

The center's community kitchen served 55,000 meals in 2025, a 117 percent increase over 2019. Paradis said 59 percent of people now entering shelter are experiencing homelessness for the first time, and the top three reported causes statewide are all related to income and housing affordability — not mental health or substance use.

Beth-El's new $16 million facility remains on track for a first-half 2026 groundbreaking, with an updated design that increases permanent supportive housing units from 11 to 15.

What's Next

Budget deliberations continue Monday, April 27 at 7 p.m.