By Charles W. Kim, Managing Editor
The three township fire districts will hold annual elections for fire commissioners and respective operating budgets Saturday.
Polls are open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at fire houses in each of the three respective districts.
Fire District 1 that represents the Kendall Park Volunteer Fire Company will conduct its election at the firehouse on New Road, according to member Larry Rosenberg.
Voters will decide on the company’s proposed $995,150 operating budget for 2012 which would increase the fire tax rate by .001 cent per $100 of assessed valuation compared with last year.
A total of $705,000 of the budget is to be raised through taxation, Mr. Rosenberg said. The total tax rate would be 7.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and cost the owner of a $190,000 home $138 this year.
Mr. Rosenberg said that the increase is due to the purchase of a new vehicle for the department, but also represents a $76,350 decrease in funding from last year’s budget.
William Orchard is running unopposed for a three-year term as fire commissioner, according to Mr. Rosenberg.
Fire District 2 in Monmouth Junction is holding its election at the Station House 20 on Ridge Road.
The district is seeking to pass its $998,000 budget, which carries a $6,352 decrease from last year’s plan and raises $852,899 through taxation, according to a summary provided to the state from the department.
Due to the 5.5 percent drop in the town’s value, the new budget would increase the tax rate by .002 and raise the total tax rate to .042 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The new rate would bring a total cost of $79.80 for the owner of a $190,000 home in the township.
Three incumbent commissioners are running unopposed for three-year terms in the other phase of the election.
Fire District 3 in Kingston will hold its vote at the fire house in the historic village and is looking to pass its $316,000 spending plan which carries an increase of $6,000 from last year, member Carl Eisanmann said.
Despite the increase in spending, the tax rate will remain flat at the same 5-cents per $100 of assessed valuation that funded the budget last year.
The cost for the owner of a $190,000 home would remain at $95 for the year.
Fire commissioner candidates Jane Eisanmann and Agostino Racanati are running unopposed for the two open three-year seats.

