HOPEWELL VALLEY: Township fire budget OK’d by three votes

Pennington and Hopewell Borough budgets passed easily

By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
   Voters approved fire district budgets in all three of the Valley’s districts Saturday, when fire district elections were held statewide.
   Hopewell Township’s budget passed by a three-vote margin out of nearly 200 votes cast, while both the Pennington and Hopewell Borough budgets passed easily.
   With all candidates running unopposed, there were no races for seats on fire commission boards in any of the Valley’s three districts this year.
   Michael Chipowsky, former township police chief, was re-elected to the township’s Board of Fire Commissioners with 143 votes. Anthony Kopkash was elected in Pennington, with 23 votes. Paul Evans and Mark Bovenizer, with 37 and 35 votes respectively, were elected in Hopewell Borough. All were elected to three-year terms on their respective boards.
   Receiving 94 yes votes and 91 no votes was a 2009 Hopewell Township fire district budget of $2,634,337. Of that amount, $2,213,437 is to be raised by local taxes, with the balance coming from surplus funds and miscellaneous revenue sources. The budget will bring a fire tax rate of 4.8 cents per $100 of assessed property value, up one-tenth of a cent over last year.
   Pennington Borough’s $481,000 budget did not elicit a single no vote. It received 23 yes votes. Of the $481,00, less than a third — $154,547— will be paid by Pennington property taxes. Most of the balance will be paid by Hopewell Township, about one-third of which is covered by the Pennington Fire Company.
   The township is 58 square miles in size. Pennington is just under 1 square mile. The budget brings a fire tax rate of 3 cents, same as last year.
   Passed 36 yes to 1 no Saturday was Hopewell Borough’s fire budget of $434,460. Of that amount, $139,374 will be raised by Hopewell Borough taxes, with most of the balance to be paid by the township. The Hopewell Fire Department covers about one-third of the township.
   The borough is less than 1 square mile in size. Approval of the budget will bring a fire tax rate of 4 cents, same as last year.