No Tax Increase In South Brunswick Fire District Budget

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The election for South Brunswick Township Fire District 2 will be held on April 20, the fire department announced.

Apart from voting for candidates to fill three-year terms as Fire Commissioner, residents will also vote for the annual budget for each fire district.

In 2020, residents voted against the Fire District 2 budget for the first time in 42 years. According to the department, residents misunderstood the question and assumed it was additional tax being levied on the public.

Funding for fire protection is provided through fire tax levied on property owners within the respective fire districts, the department clarified. The tax is paid as part of the township property tax.

The downvoted budget was then reviewed by the Township Council, who voted to approve the fire district’s budget as proposed.

Fire District 2 covers Monmouth Junction, Dayton and Deans sections.

South Brunswick is divided into three fire districts, each with their own elected five-member Board of Fire Commissioners.

For 2021, Fire District 2 is looking to approve a budget of $1,200,668 — a decrease of $58,756 from 2020.

Over a million of this will come from taxpayers.

According to the depratment, the tax rate will remain the same from 2020. An estimated $0.44 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation will go to the fire district.

For a residence in South Brunswick valued at $192,638, a taxpayer would pay $84.76 a year for fire protection.

The final budget will be presented at a public hearing during a fire district meeting after approval from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs - Division of Local Government Services (DCA DLGS).

The fire tax in South Brunswick’s fire district is among the lowest in the county and the state, said the department.

Residents with questions on the fire district election or the proposed budget can visit the fire district’s website at www.sbfd2.com or call 732-329-0250.

The election for Fire District 2 will be held on Tuesday, April 20, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Monmouth Junction Fire Station.