By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The Township Committee will determine how much money will be collected through taxes this year by one of Freehold Township’s two fire districts after that fire district’s proposed budget failed to receive approval from voters.
There are two fire districts in Freehold Township.
Fire District 1 is west of Route 9. Firefighting services are provided by the Freehold Township Independent Fire Company No. 1.
Fire District 2 is east of Route 9. Firefighting services are provided by the East Freehold Fire Company.
The annual fire district election was held on Feb. 18.
Municipal officials have indicated that the budget proposed by the Board of Fire Commissioners in Fire District 1 was defeated by voters.
Township Committee members are expected to review that budget on March 20 and determine how much money needs to be raised in local taxes to support the operation of Fire District 1 this year.
Committee members may approve the tax levy that was proposed by the fire commissioners or they may authorize a smaller tax levy than what was proposed.
The board proposed a 2017 budget totaling $1.2 million that would be supported through the collection of $1.1 million in taxes, according to the spending plan.
The budget was defeated by four votes, 321 no to 317 yes, according to Fire Commissioner Joseph Colon.
In the Fire District 1 election for fire commissioners, seven men ran for two three-year terms on the board. The candidates were incumbents John Toutounchi and Robert Buscaglia, and newcomers Andrew Story, Michael Fogarty, Kevin LaGravenis, James Taylor and Paul Nicolosi.
Toutounchi and Story were elected as fire commissioners with 203 and 340, votes, respectively, according to Colon.
The other candidates received the following number of votes: Buscaglia, 183, Fogarty, 138, LaGravenis, 111, Nicolosi, 128, and Taylor, 108.
The Board of Fire Commissioners in Fire District 2 proposed a budget of $1.4 million to support the operation of the fire district in 2017. The budget will be supported through the collection of $1.2 million in taxes, according to the spending plan.
The budget was approved in a vote of 34-19, according to results provided by Fire Commissioner Gregory Brass.
In the Fire District 2 election for fire commissioners, incumbents Brass and David Goldstein ran unopposed for two three-year terms on the board. According to Brass, Goldstein received 48 votes and he received 44 votes.
A fire district tax is one component of a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Monmouth County taxes, municipal taxes, school taxes and other assessments. Individuals pay more or less in taxes depending on the assessed value of their home and/or property.