Hopewell Valley’s fire budgets OK’d

Unopposed candidates for fire commissions also elected

By John Tredrea
   Fire budgets were approved by wide margins in Hopewell Township, Pennington Borough and Hopewell Borough fire district elections Saturday.
   Also approved was a separate ballot question on a chief’s vehicle in the Hopewell Borough district.
   In Hopewell Township, a fire budget of $2,420,592 was approved by the voters, 94-61. Of the approved amount, $2,021,343 will be raised by local taxes, with the balance covered by surplus and miscellaneous revenue sources. Approval of the budget will bring a fire tax rate of 4.4 cents per $100 of assessed property value. For the owner of a property assessed at $563,000, the township average, the fire tax this year will be approximately $247.
   Elected to three-year terms on the township’s Board of Fire Commissioners were incumbent Tim Lang and newcomer Michael Cseremsak, who is a sergeant with the Hopewell Township Police Department. Messrs. Lang and Cseremsak, who were running unopposed, received 119 and 118 votes respectively.
   In Pennington, the fire budget of $454,751 was OK’d 19-2. Of the amount approved by the voters, $165,313 will be raised by local taxes. Except for a few small sources of miscellaneous revenue, the balance of the budget will be paid by Hopewell Township in exchange for the Pennington Fire Company’s covering part of the township as well as Pennington Borough. A fire tax rate of 3 cents per $100 of assessed value will result from approval of the Pennington budget. For the owner of a property assessed at $529,000, the borough average, the fire tax this year will be approximately $158.
   Running unopposed for three-year terms on the Pennington Board of Fire Commissioners, incumbents Chris Naylor and Tom Timperman were re-elected to three-year terms. Each of them received 21 votes.
   In Hopewell Borough, a fire budget of $439,650 was approved 24-8. Of the amount approved by the voters, $130,894 will be raised by local taxes. Except for a few small sources of miscellaneous revenue, the rest will be paid by Hopewell Township in exchange for the Hopewell Fire Department’s covering a portion of the township in addition to Hopewell Borough.
   Approved 19-13 Saturday was a separate ballot question in Hopewell Borough, asking voters to approve the financed purchase of a chief’s command vehicle, for an amount not to exceed $40,000. A fire tax rate of 4 cents per $100 will result from approval of the fire budget and separate ballot question. For the owner of a borough property assessed at $452,000, the borough average, the tax this year will be about $180.
   Incumbent Schuyler Morehouse, also a member of Borough Council, was re-elected to the fire commission with 26 votes. He ran unopposed.