Fire District Election on Saturday, February 18th from 2-9pm
Dear Harrison Township Residents,
The Harrison Township Fire District (HTFD23) will be holding its annual Fire District Election on Saturday, February 18th from 2-9pm. The polling location for ALL will be at the Harrison Township Municipal Building located at 114 Bridgeton Pike. All Harrison Township registered voters are encouraged to come out and support the Fire District as we continue to provide the best possible fire protection to our community. Voters will be asked to cast a vote to approve our budget for the 2023 fiscal year as well as vote for two full term fire commissioners and one unexpired term fire commissioner.
The tax rate for the fire district is currently 9.4 cents ($0.094) per $100 dollars of assessed value. That rate will be increased slightly to 10 cents ($0.10) per $100 of assessed property value upon approval of this budget. This minor increase is necessary now due to the rising operating costs for fuel and the significant increase in our hydrant rentals from the American Water Company. The average cost for a homeowner would go from $321.00 to $341.00 annually fire protection.
Here are some of the things that your Fire District taxes pay for:
- Every fire hydrant in Harrison Twp. is rented and paid for by the Fire District
- All the utility bills and building maintenance for both volunteer fire stations
- The Fire District provides paid personnel during the daytime hours, 7 days a week
to ensure adequate staffing of the fire trucks for emergencies
- All mandatory training and fire education for our volunteers and paid staff
- All firefighting equipment, uniforms, maintenance, fuel, and insurance
- All professional services such as accounting, advertising, and legal fees
- Yearly physicals and medical testing for all our volunteers and paid staff
- Full time Fire District Clerk to perform administrative duties and budget oversight
- Part time Fire Official and Fire Inspectors to enforce the NJ Fire Code laws
- All the Fire Prevention supplies that are provided to our local schools and daycare facilities located within Harrison Township
- LOSAP retirement payments for all volunteers that meet the legal requirements
The Fire District would like to thank you in advance for your support of the annual budget and for your continued support of our Hometown Heroes and HTFD23.
On behalf of the Board of Fire Commissioners,
Chairman Ken Powell
