The Lakewood Board of Fire Commissioners will be holding a Special Meeting (Election) on December
5, from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the Fire District Administrative Offices on 316 River Avenue. The purpose of this Special Meeting (Election) is to seek approval of the voters to include capital improvement projects in the 2018 Budget, which budget will ultimately be voted upon at the Fire District Election on February 17, 2018, by the legal voters within the Township.
The capital improvement projects the Fire Commissioners are seeking approval of the voters for inclusion in the 2018 Budget are as follows:
- Fire apparatus in an amount not to exceed $975,000. This is a combination apparatus that can be used as both a fire engine to provide water to the fire as well as a ladder truck to reach the upper floors of buildings. The purchase of this one piece of equipment is a savings of over $1,000,000 when compared to purchasing both a fire engine and a ladder truck individually.
- Brush truck in an amount not to exceed $225,000. The need for this truck is overdue as it will be used to replace the present 1953 brush truck. Due the smaller size and maneuverability of this vehicle, it is necessary to access brush fires that are inaccessible to regular fire apparatus, especially those brush fires in close proximity to current as well as future residential developments and other buildings. Additionally, due to its off-road ability, this vehicle will be used to respond to emergency incidents in developments under construction as well as recreational and wooden areas where access by larger apparatus would not be possible.
- Chief’s vehicle in an amount not to exceed $65,000. The need for this vehicle is also overdue as it will be used to replace a current Chief’s vehicle that is over 10 years old. This vehicle will be properly equipped for use as an incident command vehicle which is critical to the establishment and integrity of the incident command system for ensuring the safety of emergency responders as well as the public.
- Lighting upgrades in an amount not to exceed $36,000. These upgrades are part of a continuing project to enhance lighting throughout the eight fire stations. The cost of these upgrades is supplemented through an energy grant and the electrical cost savings upon their completion are anticipated to be substantial and offset the expense.
The Board stated, “It must be noted, all of the above figures are estimates and the actual costs may be less, however, in no event will they exceed the projects assigned dollar amount. In addition, the Fire Commissioners and Administrative Staff, along with District Professionals, work tirelessly to address fire service needs so as to efficiently and effectively maximize fire protection within the community. This continues to be accomplished within the fiscal constraints of the taxpayers. Voter approval of the aforementioned capital improvement projects for inclusion in the 2018 Budget is critical for the Lakewood Board of Fire Commissioners to continue to address the changing needs of the community and its expanding population and development.
The public will have an opportunity at a Public Hearing to ask any questions they may have regarding the 2018 Budget prior to the Board adopting the budget. The Public Hearing has not been scheduled yet; however, it is anticipated to be during the second week in January. Public Notice of this Hearing will be posted on the fire district website (lakewoodfd.org) and in the Board’s official newspapers.
Lastly, the Board of Fire Commissioners want to make it explicitly clear to the voters, contrary to information that has been disseminated by others, due to recent changes in the law they are required by law to hold a Special Meeting (Election) to obtain voter approval in order to place these projects in its 2018 Budget, which budget will ultimately be voted upon by the legal voters within the Township at the annual Fire District Election on February 17, 2018. This is the reason why this Special Meeting (Election) on December 5, 2017, is so important. Without voter approval, the capital projects will not be included in the 2018 Budget.”
Vote NO NO to more taxes!!! Too much!!
Imagine what it would be if you had a fully staffed career department instead of volunteer with career back up. You could be paying a whole lot more
Please read over my letter published earlier on TLS (https://thelakewoodscoop.com/2017/09/an-open-letter-to-the-lakewood-fire-department.html) and think about that situation happening to someone you know. In times of need you would never tell the firefighters “don’t spend money putting out the fire”. So too now, we owe a great deal of thanks to the firefighters who risk their own lives to help us and we owe it to them to support their budget!
Moishy ,
The Fire District is already severely budget tight – recall the latest latest budgets were voted down – and still the Fire District is making a lot of concessions operationally to save wherever possible – e.g. the merging of the career companies. Along with other major changes being implemented and more to coming the current budget is being put to its maximum use. Yet we are still not leaving a lot of room for adequate coverage. This town is growing at a fast rate and will continue to do so for the next foreseeable future. It does not logically make sense to stunt the growth of the Fire Department just when it needs to grow along with the town (city?) in order to provide the adequate protection it needs.
Additionally, remember, the Fire District portion of your taxes counts for only 2.36%. Compare that to the 3 other entities (there are 4 in total) that receive taxes. Those are: County – 19.85%, Municipality – 28.85%, School System – 48.94%. This is public information and can be easily verified. As you can see, the Fire District budget is meager amount relative to the other 3 entities. The average household Fire District portion of taxes is a modest couple hundred dollars per year, accordingly. From this perspective, is the Fire District “wasting your taxes on frivolous items” as some are wont to say? Is the district “over taxing you”? Is it worth short changing your fire protection for the cost of a few take-out dinners a year?
Moishy, if it were up to you to decide, how would you vote “No, No to more Taxes” and simultaneously provide for the safe fire protection of the town as well as ensure future growth within the limited budget, aging apparatus, and equipment that you would be faced with? Please come to the monthly Commissioner’s meeting at the District office, open to the public and advertized (The Lakewood Shopper and other news sources), and share your ideas.
Moishy, and all others who may be interested, for an educated understanding of where the Fire District is holding financially and operationally, please reach out to the District office and/or the Chief Officers of the Department. They can answer all of your questions. Instead of the usual knee-jerk reaction to raised taxes (much of it based on hearsay and overblown innuendo) be a smart voter and make a responsible decision. You’ll be much better off for it.
To all those who understand and support the Fire District, We Thank You!
Stop threatening that we are going to have a paid dept if we dont keep giving them everything they want. Even chief delia doesnt agree with everything
Shmuel,
It’s not about what they “want”, it’s about what they need to help them help us.
Jack,
I fully agree with you! I personally do attend every commissioners meeting and I participate during the public portion as well. I consider myself pretty well informed and I agree with everything you said!
#LFD1Strong
Moshe, Moishe, Jack, shmuel and Lakewooder, why isnt this properly advertised? Why isnt this on a regular election? Now while i do understand uf they want to put it in next years budget they have to do it bow and not wait, if they wernt trying to shove it thru there would be more conversation and more planning. I am voting no only because of the way its being done.
Sam: just know that if you ever need them and they show up and risk their lives for you and help you on what could be the worst day of your life remember that you didnt try to help them at all. Just be a mentch and let them be able to afford the proper equipment necessary to help keep us and our families safe
THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! let them sell all the fancy state of the art, gorgeously landscaped Fire Stations sitting on massive lots and they will have plenty of money for what they need!
In a town with a very low median income level, with ridiculously high taxes already we have fire stations that look like they come out of Beverly Hills!!
Is there anyone who cares about the hard working middle class who are paying $1000 a month just on property tax for a lot size 30 by 100 ft??!!!
Lakewood resident,
Stop by any firehouse and we’ll give you a tour of our Beverly Hills fire station. Seriously, though, would you prefer run down, overgrown, weed infested fire houses? I’d ask if you mow your own grass but I don’t want hit a sore nerve. When will people learn that the high tax doesn’t come from the fire district? Is a couple hundred a year – not a month, a year – unreasonable? So much so that people are so angry over us trying to help them? Why do people insist that something nefarious is going on when it’s all open to the public. It’s simple, really. If the dept doesn’t have what it needs to protect the town it’s you the people who will suffer in the end. This is not about firefighters having new toys to play with. Those who think they can do better should show up to the monthly meetings, open to the public. Commenting here won’t change anything.
Lakewood resident, if you are serious about real change and dialogue come to the meetings, talk to the administrators, officers, and firefighters. Educate yourself, and yes, give us your suggestions. We’re open to hearing ideas that can save the tax payer money while maintaining a lean professionaly run fire dept. So far we habe only heard from the public through social media, most of it negative and in reaction to perceived injustices. It’s time for real dilalouge if you want to get serious about what is and isn’t necessary for an efficiently run fire dept.
I know nothing about the values of fire fighting equipment, but I assume that good, durable equipment which is designed to save lives, is expensive. The one thing I don’t get is the Fire Chief truck for $65,000. Assume a decent SUV costs $30,000-35,000. Do you have to add $30,000-$35,000 for lights, sirens and communications equipment? Sounds very high.
Forgive me for saying so, but it seems to me that government officials spending other people’s money are not as careful as they are with their own.
Its time to lease or bond like every business and government does today
Stop by Station 67 (River & James) it was built in 1932 , that is real luxury.
The fire Dept budget grows with every house that is built in Lakewood. So stop pretending as if the fire Dept with the current population, has the same budget as it did when the population was half the size.