Fire Districts Have 'Enough Money,' Resident Says
Montville man tells township committee fire districts should operate through municipal government.
Discussion on a routine ordinance amendment for fire services prompted one Montville resident to speak his mind to the township committee Tuesday on how he feels the township should no longer have fire districts.
Instead, resident Dan Pagano said, Montville should follow suit with the majority of New Jersey municipalities and operate a single fire district under the municipality.
"Montville administers its fire prevention through the fire districts. They are outdated and they are inefficient," Pagano said.
Pagano compared Montville Township, which is nearly 20 square miles, to Wayne Township, nearly 27 square miles, in his comments to the committee.
"They have no fire districts. They have five fire companies and five fire houses," he said.
The fire districts are required to hold annual fire district elections to ask residents who live within their respective fire district to approve or not approve the district budgets. Montville is one of only three Morris County municipalities, including Hanover and Parsippany, which holds annual fire district elections. Montville has three fire districts: Towaco, Montville and Pine Brook.
In 2011, the Towaco fire district budget was defeated for the first time in history.
The public hearing for the ordinance Tuesday was in relation to a fee increase for fire inspections that, according to Committeewoman Deborah Nielson, was unanimously approved by all three fire districts.
"If Wayne, NJ can do what we do with less money, I certainly think fire districts have more than enough money and they don’t need a fee increase," Pagano said.
Ron King, a member of one of the districts, felt otherwise.
"Fire prevention is funded solely by fees. These fees haven’t been increased in 10 years, yet our costs have risen," he said.
What do you think? Should the fire districts operate as one under the municipality? Participate in our poll below and then tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Dan Grant
12:11 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
If the Township runs the Fire Districts the same way they run the water and sewer department it will be a disaster. Our system has worked for decades and over all thanks to the volunteers has saved tax payers huge sums in tax dollars. Have we all forgotten the $4.8 million is overcharges to rate payers so soon? I trust the Fire Commissioners and volunteers far more the Township Committee who have proven conclusively that when push comes to shove they care mainly about their political supporters and care less about learning anything about the systems that work in the Township. Have we forgotten that a few short months ago the Township Committee paid off some political supporters with $1.3 Million in Tax dollars for land which no one had been able to develope in the past. What ever Pagano's vendeta is against the Fire Districts it should be ignored because this Township Committee doesn't have the knowledge or care about what has worked well for decades.
Truscha Quatrone
7:08 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
I do not see any positive reason put forth to make this change. If a member of the public thinks something we are doing as a community should be changed; there should be a compelling reason. Would the taxes for fire districts lower, would the costs for the districts increase or lower? Because we have elections for the fire districts does not seem like a reason to change.
Dan Pagano
9:45 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012
Dan,
There is no "vendetta"by me against any of the volunteer firemen or commissioners.
I am opposed to wasteful government spending. I am consistent whether it is fire districts or the misuse of the Open Space Fund. You should attend the next TC meeting on Tues. 9/25. At the meeting on 9/11 an ordinance (2012-28) was introduced pertaining to the purchase of the non-developable swamp called "Marketplace". There will be a public hearing on the ordinance on the 25th, maybe we will get more information at this public hearing. If you recall Mike O'Brien asked
Committeewoman Neilson who owned the property? She replied that she did not recall. Neither could anyone else on the township committee. Hopefully, their memories have been refreshed.