Residents in three area towns will have the first opportunity of the year to mull over a possible tax increase on Feb. 21.
The fire elections are almost never well attended, possibly because they occur at a time of year when the weather is likely to be bad, and on a Saturday afternoon. But many people may simply not know that they have a chance to vote on a small part of their tax bill on the third Saturday in February, in certain towns.
Bordentown Township, Chesterfield and Florence will hold fire elections this year. Florence is proposing a steady tax rate (17.8 cents per $100 of assessed property value), while the other districts are proposing small increases (Bordentown District 2 has not yet provided its proposed tax rate information as of this writing).
The districts do a good job of keeping their tax rates from jumping more than a cent or two each year, but in the current economic climate it is always worth asking where further savings could be made. Some towns have already taken steps to see if consolidation or sharing services could help reduce duplication of services while maintaining the coverage residents depend on.
Fire districts provide a service that can literally be the difference between life and death in an emergency, but many towns have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve savings and consolidation without changing quality or speed of service.
Bordentown City and Bordentown Township currently share emergency medical services and courts, yet Bordentown City does not have a separate tax for fire services. As the two sections of Bordentown Township each pay a different tax rate, it may be worth further examining these services to see if they could be coordinated or consolidated.
Chesterfield has already studied the feasibility of consolidating its fire departments — District 1 serves part of Hamilton Township in addition to Crosswicks, while District 2 serves the rest of the township. Last year studies were inconclusive, though it was noted that the two districts did not duplicate vital services. The township has indicated it will continue to look at this possibility and we encourage that.
Florence, where there is one district, has maintained a steady tax rate in its proposed budget. That town had consolidated its fire houses into one central location several years ago. Although its steady tax rate this year is due in part to an increase in ratables, it serves as an example of a successful building consolidation. Florence did not have to consolidate multiple districts — only buildings — but it serves a large area and a diverse population successfully.
However you choose to vote on Feb. 21 in these towns, remember that a single vote really can make a significant difference in these elections. We encourage residents to support these budgets to maintain services, while continuing to challenge municipalities to find long-term cost saving plans to prevent further increases.

