On Motzei Shabbos, February 18th, the Lakewood Fire Department will hold its annual election for two Fire Commissioner seats.
The following is a statement from the Lakewood Vaad:
The Commissioners are charged with ensuring that the Department can quickly and effectively service an increasingly populous Lakewood in case of emergency, as well as that our taxpayer dollars are being spent as responsibly as possible.
The Fire Commissioner positions affect every Lakewood resident, for both our life and safety, and our taxes. Our community’s turnout will make a real difference in both aspects.
There are five candidates on the ballot. Most of the candidates are fine individuals with good intentions, which made our endorsement decision very difficult. We met with some of the current Fire Commissioners and a group of firefighters, and with the public officials responsible for Police and Emergency Management. Based on their input we endorse the following candidates:
Avraham Y. (Avi) Lieber and Aharon Shain
Avraham and Aharon are both sincere, highly capable committed individuals. We are confident that they will do a superb job keeping us safe, b’ezras Hashem, in a fiscally responsible manner.
In particular, these two candidates are dedicated towards maintaining a strong force of capable Volunteer Firefighters in the Department. Having volunteers from throughout Lakewood available keeps response time down and minimizes the need for the Department to hire a large full time paid force.
We thank the current Fire Commissioners and public officials who support this slate. They have helped build our Volunteer Firefighter force, adding numerous yechidim from our Kehilla as trained new Volunteers each year.
For this election, there is only one polling location for all registered Lakewood voters:
The Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 3rd Street.
Polls are open until 10:00PM.
For the budget questions on the ballot please vote “Yes.” Voting “Yes” helps ensure that the Department’s volunteer force remains strong, reining in taxpayer costs, among other benefits.
We convey our heartfelt gratitude to the entire Lakewood Fire Department, both the tireless Paid Firefighters and the Volunteer Firefighters for dedication to the safety of all Lakewood residents. They don’t have an easy job, and their dedication and professionalism are a bracha for us all.
(Mail Ballot Alert: For those who receive a mail ballot, please note the short turnaround time and mail out at once. Ballots received after February 18 will not be counted.)
Sincerely,
The Lakewood Vaad and Rabbi Yisroel Schenkolewski
What is the budget question that we are supposed to vote yes to, and how will it lower our taxes?
Question:
Shall the Commissioners be authorized to release $284,728.00 of Restricted Fund Balance and to use said amount in the District’s 2017 Budget. Said amount will be reallocated in the 2017 Budget as follows: $117,241.00 Building Maintenance and Repairs and $167,487.00 Vehicles/Equipment Maintenance and Repairs. This reallocation will have no impact on the amount to be raised by taxation.
A “yes” vote will authorize the Fire District to use $284,728.00 of Restricted Fund Balance. These funds have been previously appropriated for capital improvement projects that have since been completed. Because the funds were previously restricted for these completed capital projects, this amount can be reallocated with approval of the voters by referendum. The funds will be reallocated in the 2017 Budget to the following line items: $117,241.00 Building Maintenance and Repairs and $167,487.00 Vehicles/Equipment Maintenance and Repairs. The release of these funds and reallocation will have no impact on the amount to be raised by taxation. If the referendum is approved (a “yes” vote), the 2017 Budget will include $284,728.00 in the above stated line items.
A “no” vote means that the Restricted Fund Balance will remain restricted and unavailable for use in future budgets. Any future funding for these projects would be raised through taxation.
mr cohen (comment 2)…your explanantion was beautifully and clearly worded. the question that comment 1 had was a valid one and one that i was wondering about as well. in short, comment 1—good question & comment 2—good answer. thanks to both of you. an educated taxpayer is our best resident.