Turnout is less than 2 percent of voters
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
The Lambertville fire district’s $1,337,046 budget for 2014 was approved by the voters Saturday, said Aladar Komjathy, chairman of the city’s board of fire commissioners. The vote was 40 yes and 17 no, he said.
Less than two percent of the city’s 3,236 registered voters bothered to cast ballots.
Of the budget’s total amount, $524,664 will be raised by city property taxes this year, up slightly from the $514,000 that was raised by property taxes last year.
The portion of this year’s budget not covered by 2014 property taxes is to be drawn from the fire district’s capital reserve account. That money will pay for a new ladder truck for city firefighters.
”We’ve been saving for that truck and putting the money for it in our capital reserve account,” Mr. Komjathy said.
The approval of the budget will bring a small fire tax increase up1/10 of a cent per $100 of assessed property value over last year’s tax, bringing the city’s fire tax rate to 7.2 cents per $100 of assessed property value, or $72 for each $100,000.
Two candidates, both running unopposed, were elected to the Board of Fire Commissioners.
Incumbent Catherine White, running for a three-year term, received 48 votes. Paul Rotoni, running to complete the last two years of the unexpired term of the late Robert Brown Sr., received 43 votes.
Mr. Komjathy said that, due declining numbers of volunteer firefighters, the city is consolidating its fire-fighting services.
”Three fire companies Union, Fleetwing and Columbia are now housed in the Union Station house, on North Main Street,” he said.
”Columbia was the most recent to move there, from their house on North Union Street. We moved one Columbia truck to the Union station in October and another on Jan. 1.
The Union station is more centrally located than where Union was before, and this arrangement makes more sense economically.”