FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The Township Committee in Freehold Township has reduced the Freehold Township Fire District No. 2 Board of Fire Commissioners’ proposed 2021 tax levy by $40,846.
Fire District No. 2 is east of Route 9. Firefighting services in the fire district are provided by the East Freehold Fire Company.
Earlier this year, the fire commissioners proposed a 2021 budget that totaled $1.73 million and was to be supported by the collection of $1.09 million in taxes from the fire district’s residential and commercial property owners.
When the budget was placed before the fire district’s voters in late April, it was defeated. The vote total was unavailable from representatives of Fire District No. 2.
According to the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office and the Monmouth County Board of Elections, the results of a fire district election are not required to be reported to either office.
With the defeat of the proposed fire district budget, the spending plan was sent to the Township Committee for review.
On May 25, committee members passed a resolution amending the Fire District No. 2 budget and reducing the total from $1.73 million to $1.69 million.
The committee members authorized a tax levy of $1.05 million, which was $40,846 less than the $1.09 million tax levy proposed by the fire commissioners.
Municipal officials made the following amendments to line items in the fire district’s budget: the category of total administration decreased from $170,000 to $150,000, and the total cost of operation and maintenance decreased from $769,581 to $748,735.
For 2021, the fire commissioners proposed a fire district tax rate of 3.63 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at $400,000 would have paid about $145 in a fire district tax if the budget had been approved by voters.
Municipal officials did not immediately respond to a request for the revised tax rate for 2021 following the $40,846 reduction in the tax levy.
A fire district tax is one component of a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Monmouth County taxes, Freehold Township municipal taxes, Freehold Township K-8 School District taxes and Freehold Regional High School District taxes.
Individuals pay more or less in taxes depending on the assessed value of their home and/or property and the tax rate that is set by each taxing entity.