Fire tax-rate increases seen in elections

by Jessica Ercolino, Staff Writer
   The fire districts in Millstone and Plumsted are getting ready for local elections later this month, and both budgets on the ballot will call for tax rate increases.
   Officials with Millstone Fire District 1 are hoping township voters will look favorably on the district’s proposed 2009 budget, as they did last year, despite a proposed fire tax hike of more than 1 cent per $100 of assessed property value.
   In Plumsted, the proposed fire tax increase tops 3 cents. But an official indicated that other municipal and county tax rates will go down because of new local responsibilities.
   The elections will be held Feb. 21, with polls open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
   The Millstone district is proposing $1,405,440 to be raised through taxation this year as part of a $1,841,440 operating budget. If approved, the local fire tax rate would increase from 8.6 cents to 9.94 cents per $100 of assessed value.
   For the owner of a home assessed at the township’s $399,924 average, this would result in a $397.52 fire tax bill — about $53.59 more than last year.
   A second question on the ballot, which requires 60 percent of the vote for approval, will ask residents to approve $58,951 that exceeds the 4 percent tax levy cap.
   The proposed 9.94 tax rate increase includes that referendum cost, said Board of Fire Commissioners Secretary David Markunas. If the budget passes and the second question does not, the tax rate would be 9.52 cents, costing the average homeowner about $37 more than the current bill.
   Three candidates are vying for two seats on the board, left open by the departure of longtime Commissioners George Gilbert and Jean Semanchick, who both chose not to seek re-election. Voters will decide between volunteer firefighter and former Commissioner Larry Cier, Van Arsdale Circle resident Vincent Castronova and Joan Drive resident Donna Penn for the three-year terms.
   The fire election will be held at the Clarksburg Firehouse on Stagecoach Road.
   Fire officials say three failed fire budgets from 2005 through 2007 and the failure of a $92,600 referendum last year has exhausted the district’s surplus and led to underfunded line items.
   ”We recognize the seriousness of the downturn in the economy and the impact it’s had on the residents of Millstone,” Mr. Markunas said. “Unfortunately, this year we have incurred some new operating expenses that require us to seek a small tax increase.”
   Specifically, the Fire Commissioners’ budget cites increases in salary and benefit costs, additional state pension obligations, the 4 percent tax levy cap and debt service payments on a $625,000 fire engine — approved by voters in 2005 — as major challenges.
   The Millstone Township Fire Department was founded in 1938 and the Fire District was established in 1979. The district has 10 full-time and 23 volunteer firefighters and officers.
   In 2008, the district responded to a record 446 total incidents — 26 more than last year — including nine structure fires, 13 brush fires and eight vehicle fires, according to fire department records.
   [vmo: easily cut for space: ]Among their various other duties, fire officials conduct fire inspections, assist with medical evacuation helicopter landings and respond to mutual aid calls and hazardous spills.
   An approved budget would allow continued stability of fire protection and public safety, said Mr. Markunas.
   ”I and my fellow board members are hopeful that residents will recognize the value of the services the Fire Department provides to the township,” he said. “The board is working hard to restore voter confidence and secure approval of the budget.”
   If the budget does not pass, it will go before the Township Committee for review and potential cuts, which Mr. Markunas said could lead to possible service reductions.
   In Plumsted, residents will vote on a $1.2 million budget that would increase the average fire tax bill nearly $100. But Board of Commissioners Chairman Gene Pullen says the hike would not have a great impact on the overall tax bill because costs are being transferred from other municipal and county departments.
   The New Egypt Fire Company’s proposed budget calls for $1,028,348 to be raised through taxation, increasing the fire tax rate from 6.88 cents to 9.47 cents per $100 of assessed value.
   If approved, the owner of a home assessed at the township’s $384,000 average would see a $363.65 tax bill, compared to last year’s $264.19 average bill.
   The Fire Company was granted a waiver from the state Department of Community Affairs to exceed its 4 percent tax levy cap because it incurred additional costs by creating its own fire marshal’s office and taking over paid emergency medical services, said Mr. Pullen.
   In January, the local fire company created its own fire marshal’s office to conduct inspections and permitting, which had previously been run by the Fire Marshal Division of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department’s, Mr. Pullen said. The township had been providing emergency medical services before the fire company took on that responsibility, he said.
   In total, five new positions would now be funded under the fire budget, he said, and the cost of the “transferred services” is the only increase in the fire company’s budget this year.
   ”It’s not really a tax increase — it’s a transfer,” the chairman said. “It would have been taken out in the county portion and municipal portion. It’s just being collected by a different agency now.”
   Incumbents Aaron Heller and Patricia Tilghman are running unopposed for two, three-year terms on the district’s Board of Commissioners.
   Voting will take place at the firehouse at 59 Main St.
   The New Egypt Fire Company was formed in 1901 as a volunteer department and moved to a combination of paid and volunteer staff four years ago, Mr. Pullen said. Including the emergency medical services staff, there are 11 paid employees and about 45 volunteers, he said.
   Last year, the fire company responded to 304 calls, said Deputy Chief Steve Morgan.