Marlboro’s Proposed $1.053M Fire District Budget Up For Vote

MARLBORO, NJ - While the New Jersey primary election is still weeks away on June 8, voters in Marlboro are gearing up for another important vote on April 20: the fire district budget.

Between 2 and 9 p.m. on April 20 at the Robertsville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 (94 Route 520), residents can vote yes or no on the proposed $1,053,234 budget for 2021. The proposal includes approximately $263,308 for water rental fees, $179,049 for debt service and $126,388 for fire safety equipment (see a full breakdown below).

In addition to the budget vote, two seats are open for district fire commissioners. Township residents can send in a mail-in ballot in lieu of in-person voting.

“A lot goes into preparing to respond to whatever type of call we receive and we spend even more time maintaining our equipment and facilities, training as well as providing other types of community service,” the Marlboro Township Fire District No. 2 wrote in a statement. “The budget that we need to operate, supports our efforts to provide fire and rescue suppression services for those that reside, work or visit the township of Marlboro.”

The proposed budget will increase residential tax assessments by $1 per $100,000 of assessed value. In other words, a home assessed at $500,000 will see an increase of $5, according to the fire district.

"The tax rate is anticipated to increase from .052 to .053 [percent]," Fire Commissioner Michael J. Rein told Patch in an email. "In other words, the amount to be raised by taxation will increase by only $25,518 or approximately 2.5 percent. It is important to note that this budget is actually a decrease of $59,482 or about .5 percent over 2020."

Here is the breakdown of the proposed $1,053.234 budget, courtesy of the Marlboro Township Fire District No. 2:

• Water Rental Fees (Hydrant Maintenance and Standby Water): 25%
• Debt Service: 17%
• Firefighting Safety Equipment: 12%
• Volunteer Training and Development: 10%
• Administrative: 9%
• Insurance/Debt Service: 8%
• Maintenance & Repair: 7%
• Length of Service Award Program: 4%
• Training and Education: 2%
• Medical Physicals: 1%
• Fuel: 1%

Over the past year, volunteers from the company responded to over 220 calls, with an average response time under five minutes, expending close to 1400 hours of service ranging from burnt toast, house fires, motor vehicle accidents with entrapment, technical rescue, hazardous materials and mutual aid throughout the state, the fire district said. Volunteers have also presented public outreach programs in local elementary schools and supported over 200 birthday parades in 2020.

While fundraising events such National Night Out in August, Open House in October and Marlboro Day in September would normally help supplement the fire district budget, gatherings to raise money amid the coronavirus pandemic are virtually impossible.

Another challenge the fire district reports is the nationwide shortage of volunteers.

While the fire district has recruited three new, fully qualified members in 2021, the new staff is still “not enough to sustain us over the longer term with members leaving the company for college, relocating, etc,” according to the statement.

“We have been trying to recruit members and successfully re-introduced our junior program in the late fall. This program provides an opportunity to learn about the fire service and is open to anyone between the ages of 16 and 18. Juniors are permitted to respond to certain calls and perform limited activities, but again due to virtual learning, our in school recruitment drives have been suspended.”

Questions regarding the proposed budget can be directed to Board of Fire Commissioners District No. 2 Chair Mike Rein at MRein@MTFD2.org. Questions regarding volunteering can be directed to Robertsville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 Chief Keith Badler at KBadler@RobertsvilleFire.org.