Cherry Hill voters will decide whether to approve the 2017 budget and will vote on two fire commissioners during the Feb. 18 fire district election.
Cherry Hill residents could have no increase in their fire district taxes again in 2017 if voters approve Cherry Hill Fire District №13’s proposed budget.
On Saturday, Feb. 18, Cherry Hill voters will go to the polls in the Cherry Hill Fire District №13 election. Voters will decide whether to approve the fire district’s 2017 proposed budget, which includes no tax increase for the sixth consecutive year.
Fire Chief Thomas Kolbe said a combination of increasing tax ratables in the township and the fire district’s spending practices has helped keep the tax rate flat since 2012.
“We just try to be conservative in the way we manage our money throughout the year,” Kolbe said. “We try to hold all of our major purchases until the end of the year, third or fourth quarter, so if an emergency comes up, we have funds available.”
The total proposed budget is nearly the same as 2016 at $27.7 million. This is about a $52,000 increase from 2016.
One of the biggest budget items for this year is the addition of a seventh ambulance to the EMS fleet. The district has three ambulances available 24 hours a day and two additional ambulances available during peak hours. The seventh ambulance will allow the district to have two in reserve and permit it to have ambulances rotate into maintenance on a regular basis.
“We lease (ambulances) on a capital lease program,” Kolbe said. “After we obtain the ambulance this year, all of the ambulances will be on a four-year replacement schedule.”
Having a steady replacement schedule for ambulances will allow the district to keep its budget totals consistent from year-to-year.
The budget also includes a stretcher and up-to-date equipment for the new ambulance.
The district is also purchasing a new pickup truck for its motor maintenance shop, one SUV for the district’s EMS supervisor and two more SUVs for staff and personnel use.
One project the fire district is planning to work on in 2017 is planning for a new fire station on the west side of Cherry Hill — a recommendation made to the district when it was going through the international accreditation process over the past couple of years.
Kolbe said the district plans to start the process early this year and release additional information on the proposal in the near future. The proposed fire station will not have an effect on the 2017 proposed budget.
“It’s probably another year or two away before we really get into something with that,” Kolbe said.
Voters will also choose two candidates to serve on the Cherry Hill Board of Fire Commissioners on Feb. 18. Robert Campagna and William McCargo are running for re-election for their seats on the board. The other three candidates are Robert Hanson, Robert Shapiro and William Trotman. Residents can read bios on all five candidates at www.cherryhill-nj.com/DocumentCenter/View/4842.
Polls for the fire district election will be open from 2 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 18. The two voting locations are the Cherry Hill Fire Department Central Command Building at 1100 Marlkress Road and the Carman Tilelli Community Center at 820 Mercer St.
The Cherry Hill Fire Department is also distributing mailers about the election and the proposed budget to all township residents. The mailer can be viewed online at www.cherryhill-nj.com/DocumentCenter/View/4855.
