PLUMSTED: Committee maintains fire budget

The committee maintained the budget as presented to taxpayers by resolution following a public hearing, discussions with fire officials and a brief executive session at the March 5 meeting.

by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
PLUMSTED — Citing only minimal cuts that would have little to no impact on residents’ taxes, the Plumsted Township Committee opted to maintain the $1.8 million fire district budget.
   The committee maintained the budget as presented to taxpayers by resolution following a public hearing, discussions with fire officials and a brief executive session at the March 5 meeting.
   The budget, which is within the 2 percent tax levy cap, was shot down by voters by a 135-85 margin, including absentee votes, Feb. 15.
   According to budget documents on the fire district website, the 2014 budget, while being smaller than its $2.08 million predecessor, would have included a larger tax levy, which was set to increase from $1.4 million last year to a proposed $1.54 million.
   As a result, the proposed tax rate is been 0.1984 cents per $100 of assessed value compared to last year’s rate of 0.1840, thus if the budget were approved, the owner of home assessed at the township average of $275,900, will pay $546 in fire taxes.
   Despite concerns from residents, members of the governing body said they were unable to find any substantive cuts without impacting the ability of the district to provide fire service.
   ”At this point, we didn’t really see anywhere we can cut the budget,” said Mayor David Leutwyler. “At this point we’re going to leave the budget the way it was.”
   The mayor said prior to the meeting, township and fire district officials had discussed the budget, which was provided to members of the governing body.
   Committeeman Mike Wysong noted the district had expressed a willingness to offset tax burden through $2,000 from surplus, but he said it would have been mostly a symbolic gesture.
   ”That’s not going to make any kind of dent at all,” Committeeman Wysong said. “I went through this budget line by line in detail and I agree with the mayor that there’s no room to cut with the current situations that they have.
   ”I don’t feel that the 200-plus people that came out to vote is representative of the entire township,” he added.
   Of particular concern for residents at the meeting was $800,000 allocated for full- and part-time employees. Fire officials were quick to note the amount also includes benefits, which they said – apart from unemployment and social security – are not provided to part-time employees.
   The salaries increased by $41,000 in budget, which officials said is owed both to contractual obligations, as well as the use of paid employees to make up for a lack of EMS volunteers.
   Prior to the vote, resident Irvin Carter said he was concerned with escalating tax bills and its burden on residents.
   ”This fire department is holding this town hostage,” Mr. Carter said. “Every time they want something they raise their budget and the Township Committee lowers it down a little bit, but they get everything.”
   In response to another concern Mr. Carter raised, officials said the district is independently audited and that audits, budgets and call information is available on the district website.
   Vic Seidman, chairman of the township’s Board of Fire Commissioners, noted the budget had decreased by five percent.
   Aaron Heller, fire commissioner and former chief, said there was a lot of “misinformation” in the public regarding the budget.
   The budget vote came approximately a week and a half after voters similarly voted against a referendum that, if approved, would have authorized the Plumsted Township Fire District to purchase land to expand the New Egypt Firehouse on Main Street.
   Officials, both from the district and the Township Committee, emphasized that the budget process had nothing to do with the failed referendum, which was defeated 355-179.
   The referendum, which would have entailed constructing a new firehouse to house both the fire and first aid operations, was estimated by officials to cost $480,000, which would have resulted in an average taxpayer facing a $250 tax increase over the next decade.
   The referendum only asked voters to decide whether to authorize the property purchase. Specific expansion or construction proposals were not involved in the vote.
   The effort came on the heels of another failed attempt to lobby public support to purchase land on Route 528 and construct a brand new, state-of-the-art facility.
   Fire officials previously said $180,000 in funds once set aside for a substation that was never built, could have also been used for the expansion.