Jackson Township is moving ahead with the merger of Fire Districts 2 and 3, with an ordinance scheduled for introduction Tuesday, November 10, and no employee layoffs planned.

Council President Mordy Burnstein announced that the council will introduce Ordinance 2026-34, the next step in a consolidation officials are targeting for January 1, 2027.

Under the plan, District 3 would become part of District 2, and the combined organization would retain the Jackson Fire District No. 2 name. District 3 employees would move into the combined organization, with all current employees kept on, according to the announcement.

The merger of the two fire districts would create one administrative structure, a unified budget process and a single chain of command. Officials say it is expected to reduce costs and improve coordination. No dollar amount for the projected savings was provided.

Jackson would be left with two fire districts: District 2 and District 4.

The council authorized the consolidation process through Resolution 168-2026 on June 9. The proposed ordinance says the New Jersey Local Finance Board and the state Division of Local Government Services approved the consolidation on September 9.

Ordinance 2026-34 would update the township code to remove references to District 3 and incorporate its territory into District 2. Tuesday’s action is an introduction, not final adoption.

“I have been working on this for two years, and I am excited to see this reach this point. Our town will be better served through this consolidation,” Burnstein said.

He also thanked those involved in the effort, with special recognition for the two districts.

“Thank you to all of those who have helped throughout this process, and a special thank you to everyone involved in both Fire District 2 and Fire District 3 for working together toward this,” he said.