Fire District- Yes or No?

[BrianSullivan]

www.app.com/article/20100725/NEWS/7250359/Freehold-firefighters-call-for-district-now-must-petition

FREEHOLD — Borough firefighters have unanimously voted in favor of becoming a fire district, which would have its own budget, department member and former Fire Chief Mike Burtt said.




The firefighters' next step is to convince at least 5 percent of the borough's registered voters — about 260 people — to sign a petition asking the Borough Council to allow the switch.

The council would then have to submit a proposal to the state Department of Community Affairs' Local Finance Board. If approved, it would be up to the council to pass an ordinance creating the fire district, according to Department of Community Affairs spokeswoman Lisa Ryan.

Borough Council President Jaye Sims says he wants to hear from firefighters what the financial impact of such a change would be before he makes a decision. Sims belongs to the Freehold Fire Department, but said he was not present when firefighters voted on the creation of a fire district.

The borough currently sets the department's annual budget, a fact that caused a lot of dissension this year when officials decided that borough fire dispatching should be handled by the county.

As a fire district, residents would be able to vote on the department's budget.

"It takes the financial responsibility away from the Council," Burtt said.

Burtt said the move would also protect the department if it ever had to consolidate with another town. Firefighters worry their volunteer force could be split up or even dissolved if that happened.

There are 185 fire districts in the state, according to a list provided by Ryan. Several towns in Monmouth and Ocean counties already operate under the fire district system, including Freehold Township, Howell and Brick.
Kim Predham: 732-308-7752 or [e-mail]

[BrianSullivan]

I posted this article as a start. I have a lot of questions about this topic which I will post in the future. This is a step that is big and all facts must be explored and considered. For now, I leave one question which is for the fire department....

Are you sure you want to be subjected to the whims of the voters?

Voters can be a cranky bunch and the FD may wind up finding out they had a better friend with the council. That is not a threat, just one possibility.

[BrianSullivan]

Here is my first an probably most important question about changing to a fire district. I ask this out of pure ignorance.

Currently the fire department is funded by the town. IF we become a fire district, what happens to that money? Will it get transferred over somehow to the new fire district? Or will is stay in the budget and the new fire district will then have to raise taxes to get this money back as a starting point?

[BrianSullivan]

More questions-

does the fire department plan on bringing back the dispatchers if the district is approved? Either way, what plan does the department have for fiscal responsibility?

Question for both the council and the fire department. Here is a scenario that played out in Millstone:

Budget voted down
examiner.gmnews.com/news/2009-02-26/front_page/002.html

What the Millstone committee did after...

examiner.gmnews.com/news/2009-03-26/front_page/010.html

Are both sides prepared for this possibility?

Does the council want to be placed in this situation based on the actions/inaction's of another governing authority?

[BrianSullivan]

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-07-28/Front_Page/Support_for_fire_district_to_be_sought.html

Support for fire district to be sought

Obtaining signatures is next step for organizers of effort in Freehold Borough
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Fire officials are proceeding with the steps that must be taken in order to establish a fire district in Freehold Borough.
The men behind the effort to establish a fire district, which would entail a new tax, met with municipal officials in closed session during the Borough Council’s July 19 meeting, according to Freehold Borough Mayor Michael Wilson.

Wilson said the discussion had to take place behind closed doors because it involved contract negotiations. He was not more specific.

Contract negotiations is one item that officials are permitted to discuss outside the presence of the public. Other exceptions to the open meetings law are discussions involving personnel, litigation and the acquisition of property.

Wilson said the fire officials came to the meeting with a proposal for a fire district and told the governing body how the procedure would work.

He said the next step, according to the fire officials, would be for the organizers of the effort to collect between 300 and 500 signatures of registered Freehold Borough voters who would state that they would be in favor of the establishment of a fire district. The petition would then be brought to the council.

If the process reaches that stage, the mayor said he will schedule time at a public meeting for the matter to be discussed.

Wilson said establishing a fire district is not a safety issue.

“In my opinion this is strictly a dollars and sense issue and the governing body at some point will have to make an objective decision on which way to proceed with this with our taxpayers in mind,” the mayor said.

“Does it make more sense to stay as we are or does it make more sense to go with a fire district?” he asked. “Is it dollar wise for the taxpayers? This is the question the governing body must answer objectively. Whatever is right for the taxpayer is what our decision will be based on.”




At the present time the Freehold Fire Department is funded in the municipal budget that is approved every year by the Borough Council. All of the firefighters are volunteers.

If a fire district were to be created, the fire department would no longer be funded in the municipal budget.

Instead, every property owner in Freehold Borough would pay a fire district tax and the total amount of fire district taxes would support the operation of the fire district.

T

he fire district would include the fire

companies that currently make up the Freehold Fire Department. The fire district would be directed by five commissioners elected by voters.

According to Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer, who serves the council as fire commissioner, “The entire issue of establishing a fire district has to be fully researched and understood by all who are affected by it, including the firefighters, the governing body and the residents of Freehold Borough. And at this point in time, I don’t think we are there yet.”

Former Freehold Fire Chief Michael Burtt told council members in June that the fire department needs a new way of running things “because the old way simply is no longer working.”

He said another way must be put in place to fund the operation of a fire department that currently has 105 volunteer members.

Burtt said a committee was formed to explore different ways of operating the fire department that might make things work better. A fire district was the most viable possibility, according to Burtt.

Lisa Ryan, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Community Affairs, (DCA), explained that in order to create a fire district at least 5 percent of the registered voters in the municipality must notify their local government that they would like to see a fire district in the town.

“Once the petition is certified, meaning that all of the signatures are verified registered voters, the local governing body must submit the proposal for a fire district to the Local Finance Board of the DCA,” Ryan said. “They must appear before the board.

“If the Local Finance Board approves the proposal, the local governing body must introduce and adopt an ordinance to create the fire district. Once the ordinance is adopted, the fire district is created and then the (voters of the) district will elect a board of commissioners which will be the governing body of the fire department,” Ryan said.

Burtt said the process of gathering signatures from registered voters will begin now.

[BrianSullivan]

When I wrote my questions out in this thread, I mentioned my ignorance on the issue. It looks like I am in good company. Mark Rosman wrote up a good editorial that has many of the same questions I have. This is a good read.

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-08-04/Editorials/Lets_hear_the_facts_about_a_fire_district.html

Let’s hear the facts about a fire district

IN THE NEWS
MARK ROSMAN
While I do not have an opinion at this time on the possible creation of a fire district in Freehold Borough, I do appreciate the fact there is a process for change that is being followed by a group of individuals who believe change is necessary.
Whether the people who are undertaking this current effort in Freehold Borough are right or wrong about starting a fire district cannot be determined before all the facts are known and analyzed.

The decision to create a fire district may eventually come down to a vote of the six members of the Borough Council.

Before I go further, let me say that I would never question the dedication or bravery of anyone who serves as a volunteer firefighter or a paid firefighter in a fire department. Anyone who is willing to risk his life to save me or my family in an emergency deserves and has my respect.

This discussion has nothing to do with any individual who has served, is serving or may one day serve as a firefighter in Freehold Borough. However, there are some aspects of the potential change from a municipally funded fire department to a fire district that I think residents should keep in mind as the initiative to start a fire district moves forward.

At the present time the Freehold Fire Department is funded through Freehold Borough’s annual municipal budget. In 2010 the borough is paying about $470,000 to fund the operation of the fire department.

From all of the property taxes that are collected in town, along with other revenues, the Borough Council makes an annual appropriation to fund the operation of the all-volunteer fire department. I suppose the most basic way to determine what the operation of the fire department costs a property owner now is to take the $470,000 and divide it by the number of properties in the borough.

If a fire district were to be created in the borough, the line item for the fire department would come out of the borough’s budget.

One could argue that the first thing the borough should do at that point is to reduce the municipal tax levy by $470,000 since that money would no longer be needed to pay for the fire department. A property owner’s tax bill should drop by the share of the taxes that were funding the fire department.

Would Freehold Borough officials willingly give up $470,000 in tax revenue? Theoretically, that tax money (no longer needed by the town to fund the fire department) could be returned to property owners so they could use it to pay the fire district tax they would be charged once the fire district is created.




If the borough returns the money to taxpayers that it currently uses to fund the fire department and if the fire district collects about the same amount in taxes to run the fire department, then it could be a wash and the total amount paid in taxes by a property owner would be about the same.

However, if the borough does not return the money to taxpayers that it currently uses to fund the fire department and then the fire district levies its own tax on property owners, that will be a tax increase.

The commissioners who would be elected by residents to run the fire district would be responsible for devising a budget to fund the operation of the fire department. Whether that amount will be more or less than what the borough is paying to fund the operation of the fire department is anyone’s guess.

A representative of the group that is pursuing the change from a municipally funded fire department to a fire district was quoted in a recent newspaper article as saying that with

a fire district in place, residents would be able to vote directly on the fire district’s budget.

While that statement about the voters having a say on the budget is true, it is a bit disingenuous.

Freehold Borough’s firefighters have to know that although a public vote on a fire district’s budget is held every February, very few residents ever see the legal notice that details the budget and gives the date of the election, and very few people go out to vote on the budget. It is possible for the membership of a fire department and their relatives to control the outcome of a fire district’s budget vote.

The same holds true for the election of fire commissioners. If there are fire commissioners who, in the opinion of the public, are not serving the fire district well, they can be voted out of office. They can be voted out, but it is highly unlikely that they will be voted out, given the way the election is stacked in favor of the incumbent commissioners and those who support them.

Leaving the fire department funding in the hands of the Borough Council members gives residents much more of a chance to hold those elected officials responsible for decisions they make relative to the fire department than placing those decisions in the hands of fire commissioners.

So what kind of money are we talking about for fire district taxes? The current fire district tax in my area of Freehold Township is 2.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

That means the owner of a home that is assessed at $250,000 pays about $65 in fire district taxes in 2010. The owner of a home that is assessed at $400,000 pays about $104 in fire district taxes in 2010. The owner of a home that is assessed at $600,000 pays about $156 in fire district taxes in 2010.

In my opinion and in the big picture, those are not outrageous amounts for fire protection. The fire district system appears to be working in Freehold Township and in other municipalities.

The residents and officials in Freehold Borough may eventually have to decide if the same type of system will work for them. Ask questions, get the information and move forward from there.

Mark Rosman is the managing editor of the News Transcript. He may be reached at [e-mail].

[pullen1577]

Hey everyone, as a member of the committee persuing becoming a fire district in Freehold Borough, I'd like to share some F.A.Q.'s we've prepared as our petitions go into circulation:

Q: What is a fire district?
A: A fire district is a separate unit of local government that is established for the purpose of providing fire protection and response to emergencies.

Q: How is fire protection currently provided in the Borough of Freehold?
A: Fire protection in the Borough of Freehold is provided through a municipal fire department with volunteer firefighters.

Q: Who is responsible for the operations of a fire district?
A: A fire district is overseen by an elected board of fire commissioners typically of 5 members. The board establishes policy and approves the annual budget.

Q: Does the creation of a Fire District have to go to a public referendum?
A: No. A petition with at least 5% of the registered voters’ signatures is submitted to the Borough Clerk, who in turn, forwards the petition to the governing body. The Mayor and Council then has 10 days to schedule a public hearing on the matter, and after the hearing the Council votes on whether or not to form a fire district. If they vote yes, the district is formed immediately. If they vote no, then cased closed and business resumes as usual.

Q: Who elects fire commissioners?
A: The residents of the fire district who are registered to vote may cast their ballot for commissioners in a fire district election, which is held on the 3rd Saturday in February.

Q: Who pays for the fire district?
A: The district generates a majority of its revenue from a secondary property tax assessed on all real property. District taxes are assessed against the taxable properties within the district and levied and collected at the same time and in the same manner as town taxes. The town then distributes the fire tax monies to the fire district.

Q: How much is spent on a District and what would be cost to the residents?
A: Budgets vary and can change yearly. A good average to taxpayers is around $.10-$.15 per $100 of assessed value. The average median value of a home in Freehold Borough is $259,680.00. The following are examples of the possible costs a Fire District ,ay have on Freehold Borough taxpayers:

$600,000.00 Budget – 5.5 cents per $100 assessed value would be $143.83 annually or $11.90 monthly.

$650,000.00 Budget – 6.1 cents per $100 would be $158.41 annually or $13.20 monthly.

$700,000.00 Budget – 6.5 cents per $100 would be $168.79 annually or $14.07 monthly.

$750,000.00 Budget – 7.0 cents per $100 would be $181.77 annually or $15.15 monthly.

Q: Why form a fire district?
A: To be able to continue providing the highest quality of fire protection possible to the residents of Freehold Borough, in the most cost efficient manner. Also to protect the fire department from any possible future municipal consolidation.

Q: Will my municipal taxes go up?
A: No, the current tax revenue that goes towards fire protection will be transferred to the fire district.

I hope these F.A.Q's clear up any uncertainties on this topic. Anyone wishing to support the cause may contact any member of the Dept or stop by the firehouse anytime to sign the petition. They must be a resident and a registered voter of Freehold Borough. Thanks for the continued support!

[BrianSullivan]

Aug 4, 2010 15:24:53 GMT -5 pullen1577 said:

Hey everyone, as a member of the committee persuing becoming a fire district in Freehold Borough, I'd like to share some F.A.Q.'s we've prepared as our petitions go into circulation:

Q: What is a fire district?
A: A fire district is a separate unit of local government that is established for the purpose of providing fire protection and response to emergencies.

Q: How is fire protection currently provided in the Borough of Freehold?
A: Fire protection in the Borough of Freehold is provided through a municipal fire department with volunteer firefighters.

Q: Who is responsible for the operations of a fire district?
A: A fire district is overseen by an elected board of fire commissioners typically of 5 members. The board establishes policy and approves the annual budget.

Q: Does the creation of a Fire District have to go to a public referendum?
A: No. A petition with at least 5% of the registered voters’ signatures is submitted to the Borough Clerk, who in turn, forwards the petition to the governing body. The Mayor and Council then has 10 days to schedule a public hearing on the matter, and after the hearing the Council votes on whether or not to form a fire district. If they vote yes, the district is formed immediately. If they vote no, then cased closed and business resumes as usual.

Q: Who elects fire commissioners?
A: The residents of the fire district who are registered to vote may cast their ballot for commissioners in a fire district election, which is held on the 3rd Saturday in February.

Q: Who pays for the fire district?
A: The district generates a majority of its revenue from a secondary property tax assessed on all real property. District taxes are assessed against the taxable properties within the district and levied and collected at the same time and in the same manner as town taxes. The town then distributes the fire tax monies to the fire district.

Q: How much is spent on a District and what would be cost to the residents?
A: Budgets vary and can change yearly. A good average to taxpayers is around $.10-$.15 per $100 of assessed value. The average median value of a home in Freehold Borough is $259,680.00. The following are examples of the possible costs a Fire District ,ay have on Freehold Borough taxpayers:

$600,000.00 Budget – 5.5 cents per $100 assessed value would be $143.83 annually or $11.90 monthly.

$650,000.00 Budget – 6.1 cents per $100 would be $158.41 annually or $13.20 monthly.

$700,000.00 Budget – 6.5 cents per $100 would be $168.79 annually or $14.07 monthly.

$750,000.00 Budget – 7.0 cents per $100 would be $181.77 annually or $15.15 monthly.

Q: Why form a fire district?
A: To be able to continue providing the highest quality of fire protection possible to the residents of Freehold Borough, in the most cost efficient manner. Also to protect the fire department from any possible future municipal consolidation.

Q: Will my municipal taxes go up?
A: No, the current tax revenue that goes towards fire protection will be transferred to the fire district.

I hope these F.A.Q's clear up any uncertainties on this topic. Anyone wishing to support the cause may contact any member of the Dept or stop by the firehouse anytime to sign the petition. They must be a resident and a registered voter of Freehold Borough. Thanks for the continued support!

Steve, thank you for the post. It does answer many of my questions. I also put this link up on the FV facebook page and pointed readers to your post in order to help reach more people. Good luck to you guys on the FC.

[Mike Rosseel]

I believe Steves post is excellent!

This is something that should have been done for a long time now. Our governing body, is one of the highest paid councils in monmouth county. There salaries are higher then Red Bank, Middletown, Keyport and Freehold Township to name a few. Why is it ok to keep giving more money to our local governing body, yet cut Fire Department needs and equipment. I hope this town steps up and sends a message to the council that we will not let our VOLUNTEER department be put at risk because they(the council) cant manage a budget!

Maybe Freehold Boro needs to look at a town like Freehold Township whom gave up there benefits to help with the budget. Why havent our council done that yet? Has Joe Bellina takin a hit? Im guessing no!

These men and women of our Fire Department deserve the best and full support of our town! I hope we all stand up, sign there document and show the council we care about our familes and fire departments safety!

I know it seems it but Im not attacking our council politically, just think they made a big mistake with the fire department and its safer (the fire departments budget) in the residents hands at this point!

Good Luck Freehold Fire Department, Im only one resident but you have my support!

[BrianSullivan]

I just wanted to bump this. The buzz on facebook is that the fire department is going door to door in an effort to gain support for the district.

[BrianSullivan]

Click on link for full story

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-09-08/Front_Page/Firemen_gather_voters_signatures.html

Firemen gather voters’ signatures

Freehold Borough group seeking to establish a fire district in town
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer

Couple of nice quote here.....

“The problem we are running into is that many of the homes we are visiting do not have registered voters living in them anymore,” he said. “Many registered voters who were listed on the roster we are working with have moved away and new people who are not registered voters are now living in the homes. And we do have a current list........




“Most people we have talked to liked the idea of having control, rather than having the council have the control” of the fire department, Burtt said.

[BrianSullivan]

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-09-15/Letters/Freehold_Borough_fire_district_plan_needs_clarific.html

Freehold Borough fire district plan needs clarification

[BrianSullivan]

Looks like we are getting close to becoming a district...

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-11-10/Front_Page/Clerk_checking_signatures_on_petition_for_fire_dis.html

[BrianSullivan]

freehold.injersey.com/2011/03/29/fire-department-agrees-to-plan-withdraws-fire-district-proposal/


newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2011-03-30/Front_Page/Agreement_could_end_push_for_fire_district.html


Looks like this came to conclusion and in my opinion, this was the right thing for everyone. While I was open minded to the formation of a district, I think the timing was awful and I saw too many unanswered questions. I understand and respect why the fire department did it. They are watching out for public safety and are very committed to that. I think in the end it is just a shame that things were not just worked on earlier instead of having all of this drawn out. Too often, that seams to happen in this town when people really just need to work together.