Referendum approved by voters
By: Al Wicklund
MONROE The almost $2 million referendum for a new, second firehouse in Fire District 3 was approved by voters Saturday.
Peter Lumia, chairman of the District 3 Board of Fire Commissioners, said Wednesday the board was thrilled with the turnout and with the result of the referendum vote.
District 3 had 903 voters participate. The $1,975,000 referendum was approved by a vote of 732 to 198.
Mr. Lumia said the board will now settle on a final layout for the fire station and will hire an architect. The district currently is based in the Central Monroe Firehouse on Schoolhouse Road near its juncture with Buckelew Avenue.
"Hopefully by late fall we’ll be ready to start construction.
The new firehouse is planned to be built on Center Drive off Applegarth Road. It will house township Emergency Medical Service vehicles as well as District 3 firetrucks and will base the vehicles only two to four minutes from Rossmoor and the developments around the Forsgate Country Club.
The firehouse referendum will be paid over a period of 20 years and will increase the tax rate by 1.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $148,500, will pay $22.28 a year.
In District 3, voters also approved an annual budget of $2.2 million for 2003 by a 550-174 vote and elected Fire Commissioners Paul Lucey, 650 votes, and Joel Hemmendinger, 641, in uncontested elections.
The budget will increase District 1’s fire tax rate by 1 cent to 15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a home assessed at the township average will pay $222.75 in fire taxes for the next year.
In Fire District No. 2, based in the Applegarth Fire Department on Applegarth Road, a $1.4 million budget was passed 502-132.
In a three-man race for one three-year term on the District 2 Board of Fire Commissioners, Maurice Mahler won with 291 votes. Incumbent Arthur Rittner had 244 votes and Deputy Fire Chief Tom Byrne had 111.
The District 2 budget will increase fire taxes by 3 cents to 15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For a house assessed at the township average of $148,500, the increase in annual taxes will be $44.55
Saturday’s election for fire commissioners in District 1 wasn’t settled until Wednesday when 14 provisional votes were checked. Of the provisional votes, cast by persons who said they were registered even though their names didn’t appear in the voter registration books, 11 were valid and counted and three were cast by voters with no record of registration and were disallowed.
In a four-man race involving two incumbents and two challengers, challenger Dan Cunningham, with 61 votes, and incumbent Brian DiNicola, with 55 votes, were the winners.
Trailing them were incumbent Jeffrey Kivet, 53 votes, and challenger, Joe Mizrahi, 42 votes.
District 1’s $920,732 budget was approved, 103-23. The budget will increase the tax rate by 1 cent to 14 cents. For the house assessed at the township average of $148,500, the annual increase in taxes will be $14.85.

