FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Voters in Freehold Township Fire District No. 1 have approved a $1.52 million budget to support the operation of the fire district during 2020.
There are two fire districts in Freehold Township. Fire District No. 1 is west of Route 9. Firefighting services in that area of the township are provided by the Freehold Township Independent Fire Company No. 1.
The annual fire district election was held on Feb. 15 and the budget for 2020 was approved. The Freehold Township Independent Fire Company No. 1 acknowledged the budget’s passage in a Feb. 20 social media post, but did not report the vote total in favor of and opposed to the proposed budget.
At the same time, voters re-elected John Toutounchi and A.J. Story to new three-year terms on the fire district’s Board of Fire Commissioners, according to the social media post.
The $1.52 million budget will be supported by a $1.46 million tax levy, according to the Board of Fire Commissioners.
In 2019, voters in the fire district approved a $1.73 million budget that was supported by a tax levy of $1.64 million. The tax rate for Fire District No. 1 was 4.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at $400,000 paid $184 in fire district taxes.
For 2020, the tax rate for Fire District No. 1 will decrease to 4.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, according to the fire commissioners. The owner of a home assessed at $400,000 will pay $172 in fire district taxes.
A fire district tax is one component of a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Monmouth County taxes, municipal taxes, school taxes and other assessments. Individuals pay more or less in taxes depending on the assessed value of their home and/or property and the tax rate that is set by each taxing entity.
