Voters say no to 3-cent tax rate hike.
By: Cynthia Koons
WASHINGTON For the first time in three years, township voters defeated the fire district’s proposed budget, which had called for a 3-cent hike in the fire tax rate for 2003.
The budget received 205 "yes" votes and 388 "no" votes. A total 601 residents turned out in Saturday’s fire district elections.
The $2.2 million budget, which was drawn up by last year’s fire commission, now goes to the Township Committee for review and possible cuts. Had it passed, the owner of a home valued at the township average of $175,000 would have paid an additional $53 in fire taxes this year. The budget was $347,625 more than last year’s spending plan.
Voters also selected incumbent Nate Bouchelle and Rob Hutchinson, a volunteer Washington Township firefighter, to fill open seats on the fire commission. Mr. Hutchinson won 264 votes to earn his first term as fire commissioner, while Mr. Bouchelle, a commissioner since the fire district was formed 15 years ago, garnered 217 votes.
In the district’s 15-year history, the fire budget has passed only three times in 1988, 2001 and 2002. Mr. Bouchelle said the Township Committee has generally been fair to the department when the budget has failed.
"They’re not out to hurt us, they’re going to look it over and see if they can cut something," he said.
In previous budget reviews, he said the committee has tended to side with the department and only once did it cut the budget by requesting the department lease instead of purchase a fire vehicle.
Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Brink said he was disappointed that voters rejected the budget.
"Obviously with the big (tax) increase (related to the future high school project) that the school district had, that didn’t help us," he said.
"Now the (residents) are mad and the Township Committee is going to look at cutting what they can whether it’s right, wrong, or different," he said.
"We do a lot of stuff here for the public tours for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Mom’s Club," he said. "There’s not somebody we wouldn’t bend over backwards for. This hurts and it’s very disappointing."
Fire Commissioner Debbie Matson said the fire budget was most recently defeated in her first year on the commission four years ago.
"The service that we provide is definitely a very needed service and a vital service to the residents," she said. "I was surprised that it did fail."
She later added: "With the school budget going up, even though we had asked for a small increase of 3 cents, voters were basically saying ‘no’ to any tax increase."
Ms. Matson said the 3-cent increase in the tax rate included a cost-of-living assessment as well as a plan to hire additional firefighters to have a fourth person on each shift on the engine.
Updating equipment, repairing and maintaining the apparatus and other safety issues were budgeted for in the increase, she said.
Certain items, like firefighters’ raises, are required by union contract while other items, like new equipment, could be vulnerable in Township Committee review, Deputy Chief Brink said.
Mr. Hutchinson said that in his new role as fire commissioner he supports the budget and plans to improve upon existing services and equipment rather than see any cuts.
"I think right now it is a public safety budget and it’s probably the last thing people want to cut just because of the state of the tax rate in this township," he said. "I think we’re being held responsible for the failure of the Township Committee to plan for the increased services the that town needed as the town grew."
Mr. Hutchinson, 30, is a volunteer firefighter for the Washington Township Department and volunteered in West Windsor for 10 years, spending one year as deputy chief there.
Mr. Hutchinson and Mr. Bouchelle will take their oath of office March 12. The fire commission now has 30 days to present the budget to the Township Committee in a public meeting.
For Mr. Bouchelle, increased public awareness of the budget is imperative.
"The people don’t know what the budget is all about," he said. "It’s just the way the things are today. The people just see it went up and they just vote that down. We advertised our hearing for the budget for the public and we had one person (turn out).
"You can’t really blame them," he said. "If they were more knowledgeable maybe they would have passed it."

