Voters in South Brunswick approved the fire district budgets for all three fire departments.
For South Brunswick Fire District No. 1, which is covered by the Kendall Park volunteer firefighters, the total budget for 2021 is $874,050, with the amount of $867,750 to be raised by taxes. This is a 0.9% increase over 2020’s budget, or an increase of $7,630.
The tax rate for 2020 was 8.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and there will not be an increase in the tax rate for 2021. Thus, taxes for fire protection will remain the same for taxpayers covered by the district.
The owner of a home in Kendall Park that has an average assessed value of $193,230 will pay $161 for fire protection this year.
The budget passed, with 251 votes in favor of the budget, and 50 against, according to information provided by Coordinator Chris Perez.
Kris Olson and Sarah Berezansky were re-elected to their fire commissioner positions.
The election for South Brunswick Fire District No. 2, which covers the Monmouth Junction, Dayton and Deans sections of the township, included the re-election of incumbents Charles G. Spahr and Douglas A. Wolfe to three-year terms as fire commissioners.
The 2021 budget for Fire District No. 2 calls for total appropriations in the amount of $1,200,668, which is a decrease of $58,756 from the 2020 budget. The amount to be raised by taxation is $1,036,000, which is an increase of $16,400 from the 2020 budget, according to information provided by Fire District Coordinator Scott Smith.
The tax rate for 2021 will be 4.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The tax rate was the same in 2020. For a residence assessed at the average value of $192,638, a taxpayer in Fire District No. 2 will pay $85 for fire protection this year.
The budget passed by a vote of 316 for and 79 against, according to Scott Smith, fire district coordinator for South Brunswick Township Fire District No. 2/Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department.
Fire District No. 3’s budget for 2021 is $836,429, with $597,766 to be raised through taxation.