¹ The names of the towns, the effective date of consolidation, the governments consolidated, and the form of government under which consolidation was accomplished (in italics) follow: 1874, New London, town and city; 1889, Bridgeport, town and city; 1893, Ansonia, town and borough, city; 1894, town of Derby and borough of Birmingham, city of Derby; 1895, Naugatuck, town and borough; 1896, Hartford, town and city; 1897, New Haven, town and city; 1902, Waterbury, town and city; 1906, New Britain, town and city; 1911, Bristol, town and borough, city; 1911, town of Orange and borough of West Haven, now town of West Haven; 1913, town of Norwalk and cities of Norwalk and South Norwalk, city of Norwalk; 1915, town of Winchester and borough of Winsted; 1917, town of Huntington and borough of Shelton, city of Shelton; 1921, Ridgefield, town and borough; 1922, Meriden, town and city; 1923, Torrington, town and borough, city; 1924, Middletown, town and city; 1932, Greenwich, town and borough; 1935, New Canaan, town and borough; 1941, Guiiford, town and borough.

² Every city and borough and several towns in Connecticut operate under special legislation.

³ This feature of town and city consolidation in Connecticut appears to be similar to the new form of township government proposed by the Princeton Local Government Survey. Cf. Carpenter, W. S., Problems in Service Levels (Princeton, 1940), pp. 135–138.Google Scholar

⁴ In Hartford, before consolidation certain property had been brought within the corporate limits of the city subject to a low maximum tax rate; this low rate was simply continued by the consolidating act.

⁵ This was given legislative approval in one instance. Special Laws of Connecticut, 1921, p. 756, sec. 3.

⁶ The following quotations are fairly typical of the two general types of provisions concerning the division of costs between the taxing districts:

“Sec. 5. Said city of Bridgeport is hereby divided into two districts. The first district shall comprise all the territory of said city, and the second district shall comprise all the territory that lay within the limits of said city as the same existed on the first day of January, 1889.

Sec. 6. All the inhabitants and property within the limits of the first district shall be liable to taxation to defray the burdens and expenses imposed upon said city by this act to the same extent as they would be liable if said burdens, expenses, duties, and powers had not been transferred from said town to said city, and in addition thereto for the expenses of the board of health of said city, and the expenses of, less receipts from, criminal prosecutions and police protection outside of said second district, and truant officers, which expenses shall be ascertained and determined by the city auditor; and all other burdens and expenses of said city shall be met by taxation levied upon the inhabitants and property within the limits of the second district….” Ibid., 1889, p. 855.

“Sec. 6. The city of Meriden, for the purpose of taxation, is hereby divided into two districts. The first taxation district shall comprise all of the territory contained within the limits of the present city of Meriden….

Sec. 7. A general tax shall be annually laid upon the inhabitants and property within said city, for the purpose of meeting the obligations and expenses of said city, but all money required to be expended for the care and maintenance of the water department and sewer and park systems and their extensions, the expense of the police and fire departments, the interest and sinking fund upon the debt of the first taxation district, and such other appropriations as are necessary for the special benefit of said first taxation district, or for any public work or purpose which is for the exclusive benefit or use of the inhabitants or property within the first taxation district, shall be raised by taxation upon the inhabitants and property within the said first taxation district only.” Ibid., 1921, p. 921.