Fire budgets to face voters

Elections to determine local fire commissioners and budgets will be held on Feb. 19.

By: Lauren Burgoon
   February means it’s time for local fire district elections and three towns are asking residents to approve larger spending plans.
   In Washington, voters will be asked Feb. 19 to approve a 2-cent tax hike, bringing the fire tax to 26 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That translates into a $455 fire tax bill for a homeowner with home assessed at the township average of $175,000. That is an increase of $35 over last year.
   Fire Commissioner Robert Hutchinson said that the larger budget is based on "uncontrollable increases" in necessary things like fuel costs and contract obligations. This district also needs more money to supplement the increased cost of hydrant services, which will cost the station $36,000 more this year.
   The total proposed budget for 2005 is $2.5 million, with taxes accounting for $2.4 million of that total.
   Washington’s fire district is coming off of a busy year that saw a 13 percent rise in emergency calls. The station, which has paid staff and volunteer fire and emergency crews, answered 1,559 calls in 2004.
   Three candidates are running for two positions on the Board of Fire Commissioners. Greg Zalenski and Debbie Matson are incumbent commissioners. Mike McGowan also is running for a spot. Each seat carries a term of three years.
   The New Egypt Fire Company also wants voters to approve a tax increase to cover costs. The district is asking voters to approve a fire tax rate of 12 cents per $100 of assessed property value, an increase of 3 cents over last year. Taxes will make up about $488,500 of the $599,921 budget.
   "This is the first rate increase we’re asking for in six years," Commissioner Aaron Heller said. "Most of the increase can be attributed to insurance costs that have gone up, hydrant service that we’re going to need to pay more for and as well as the fact that we have employees now."
   The district hired its first two paid employees at the end of December and will add two more if the budget is approved.
   "Our response times are getting much better because of having a career staff," Mr. Heller said. "We are getting a lot more accomplished and doing things like that we couldn’t do before we had the staff."
   If the budget passes, a homeowner with a house assessed at the township average of $132,200 will pay $158 in fire taxes, an increase of about $40.
   Two incumbent fire commissioners, Gene Pullen and Sarah Jo Mains, are running unopposed for re-election.
   The Millstone fire district is asking for a tax increase to support its $1.1 million budget. The proposed budget, of which about $966,000 will come from taxes, has a tax rate of 7 cents per $100 of assessed value, a 1-cent increase over last year. Residents with a home assessed at the township average of $395,400 will pay $276 in fire taxes if the budget is approved.
   The tax hike is more controversial in Millstone than other towns. The biggest reason for the increase is to support the fire commissioners’ 3-2 decision to give an unsolicited 25-percent pay raise to current and future staff, Commissioner Frank Leonard, who opposed the move, said. He said, as an example, that one firefighter’s salary went from $40,560 to $50,377 because of the raise.
   "I was vehemently opposed to this unsolicited pay raise but three fire commissioners felt that our pay scale should be adjusted," Mr. Leonard said of the decision that is retroactive to September 2004. "When was the last time someone came up to you and just offered a 25-percent raise? I don’t like spending taxpayer money like that."
   The move prompted Mr. Leonard and fellow Commissioner Larry Cier to opt out of running for re-election out of frustration, Mr. Leonard said. Three other residents — Alex Credidio, Charles Nafus and Frank Toia — are running for two open seats that each have three-year terms.
   If Millstone’s fire budget is approved, the career staff will be doubled from four to eight people. The move is meant to increase the station’s coverage abilities and allow the firefighters to respond to emergencies 24 hours a day.
   The fire district elections will be held on Feb. 19 from 2 to 9 p.m. Residents can vote at their local fire stations. Absentee ballots are also available from the stations.
   People in Washington who are not registered to vote or who haven’t updated their registration with a current address can reregister at the fire station on Feb. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m.