NORWICH – Eight months post start date, Town of Norwich officials last week finally signed an agreement to receive – and pay for – fire and rescue services from the Norwich City Fire Department.

The delayed signing has been an issue of contention among city reps in recent months, some who argued that the town’s delinquent payment was an onus for city taxpayers and questioned whether the township should continue to get help from the fire department without ponying up their share of expenses.

The city had a similar issue with the Town of North Norwich, the other township it contracts with to provide fire protection, earlier this year. But that dispute was settled months ago.

Town of Norwich Deputy Superintendent Charles Brooks said the fire contract between the town and city, while vital to public safety, was delayed due to sticking points that town officials argued are too costly for their constituency.

“We approved it and signed it, and we’re paying for services from January to August, and we’ll pay every month thereafter,” Brooks said. “We’ve held it up because we were in negotiations for quite a while.”