By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — Fire District 2 will not seek to raise its overall budget at the upcoming fire election.
On Saturday, Feb. 21, voters will be asked to approve a total budget of $1,321,488, with $1,256,376 to be raised through taxation, according to Fire Commissioner David Horsnall. He said the proposed budget is not an increase from last year’s.
If the budget is approved, the district will use $65,112 from its surplus, Mr. Horsnall added.
The district will also ask voters to approve a second ballot question, which would allow the hiring of two new full-time firefighters at a total cost of $121,664. Mr. Horsnall said that would include $82,020 in salaries, as well as about $33,000 in health insurance and about $6,600 in other benefits
Should the budget and second ballot question both pass, the tax rate would go up 1.9 cents, to 25.1 cents per $100 of assessed home value. If the budget passes but the referendum fails, the tax rate will be 22.7 cents, half a penny lower than last year’s rate.
Fire Commissioner Andrew Watson said the district worked hard to keep costs from rising this year.
”Across the board, every line item has either been maintained at a 2008 level or cut below the 2008 level,” he said, including commissioners’ salaries.
”We have made this as minimal a budget as possible so that the district can still operate.”
Fire Commissioner Joseph Fresco, whose term expires this year, will be the sole candidate for a three-year term on the board.
Voting will take place from 2 and 9 p.m. at the Derby Fire Company, 262 Crosswicks Road.
This year, voters will use paper ballots, even in districts like the two in Bordentown Township and the one in Florence, which usually use voting machines.
A state law went into effect Jan. 1 requiring those machines to leave a paper trail, which the current ones do not, said county Superintendent of Elections Joanne Nyikita.
While the state Legislature voted recently to delay the deadline for the requirement, the state Senate will not be able to do so until it meets after the fire elections.
