Jackson slashes fire budgets amid consolidation talks
JACKSON — As calls for consolidation of the town's three fire districts increase, township council members slashed hundreds of thousands from the budgets of two such districts who saw their spending plans defeated at the ballot in February.
The Jackson Township Council on Tuesday cut $300,000 from the budget of Jackson Township Fire District No. 4, home of the Jackson Mills Volunteer Fire Company, and $150,000 from Jackson Township Fire District No. 3, which houses the Jackson Township Fire Company, three months after voters rejected both fire districts' budgets.
Council President Jennifer Kuhn said the stark difference in budget cuts was because of the size of District No. 4's capital budget, a $500,000 spending plan that included building an expansion to its station, building offices and a training center.
Last year, the district asked for a $115,000 capital plan.
"We're cutting your capital. You are well and able on how to do your day-to-day operations," Kuhn said. "You have the biggest firehouse in the whole town - what do you need a second level for?"
District No. 4 chairman Raymond Torres, Jr., attributed the contrast in cuts to a different reason: District No. 4 is the town's lone holdout in a plan to consolidate the township's fire districts.
In 2016, two fire districts merged into the new Fire District No. 2, which houses the Whitesville and Cassville fire companies. And earlier this year, District No. 3 began the process of consolidating with them
But consolidation wouldn't help taxpayers in District No. 4, Torres said. The district has the lowest tax rate in town and Torres said taxes would rise if they were to consolidate, while the quality of service wouldn't increase.
"Consolidation won't benefit our taxpayers financially or operationally," Torres said. "You're playing political games with the fire department."
Recent history shows little difference to taxpayers for consolidated and independently governed fire districts.
When Jackson Township Fire District No. 1 and District No. 2 consolidated in 2016, taxpayers saw a slight decrease in the tax rate. Since then, the budget has increased by more than $1 million while the tax rate has increased by 4.3 cents, up to 11.8 cents per $100 of assessed value.
From 2016 to 2023, District No. 3's budget increased 4.9 cents. District No. 4's budget increased 4.36 cents, more than the consolidated fire district during the same nine-year time period. (Most of the increase has occurred in the last five years, as District No. 4 didn't alter its tax rate from 2016 to 2019.)
Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and basically whatever else is going on at any given moment. Contact him at mdavis@gannettnj.com or @byMikeDavis on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jackson NJ fire budgets cut, council pushes for consolidation
