Cinnaminson Fire District Elections Set For Saturday

CINNAMINSON, NJ — The first election of the year is this weekend. The Cinnaminson Fire District’s annual election is set for Saturday, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Voting will take place at the Cinnaminson Municipal Building, 1621 Riverton Road. The date and time is set by state statute.

Cinnaminson residents will go to the polls to vote on the district’s proposed $4,009,946 budget. The total amount to be raised through taxation would be $3,286,486, which includes an increase of $70,521, a 2.2 percent increase. It comes out to a $7 annual increase for the average Cinnaminson homeowner.

Additionally, Fire Commissioner Harry Smith has chosen not to run for re-election, and former commissioner Roger Butler is running for the open seat unopposed. The Cinnaminson Fire District Board of Commissioners consists of five seats, and each seat carries a three-year term. Only one seat is up for a vote this year.

The only increase is related to employment, according to Fire Chief Administrator William Kramer. Salaries and personnel account for $1,416,550, or 35 percent of the budget. The fire district posted a chart on the Cinnaminson Fire Department Facebook page that shows the breakdown of how what money in the budget is allocated for.

“We believe that this small increase is critical to be able to maintain the superior emergency response services, which this year will include a full-time staffed ambulance,” the fire district said in its announcement. “The cost of the new ambulance service will be more than covered by insurance reimbursements.

“This small increase is more than offset for homeowners and businesses through insurance reductions realized due to the department’s Class 2 ISO rating, which places us in the top 3% of fire departments in the nation.”

The fire district also engages in a number of shared services to help keep the tax impact low, Kramer said. Kramer invites residents who have questions to call him at 856-829-5220.