Excerpts from the rrstar.com:
Fire districts are looking at tight budgets and possible service cutbacks after voters rejected three tax increase proposals on Tuesday.
The North Park Fire Protection District asked voters to approve a property tax increase to pay for replacements for aging equipment — a $17,000 expense. The measure was rejected by 56 percent of voters. The increase, had it been approved, would have resulted in a $33.33 property tax increase over 12 months for a home valued at $100,000.
The defeat of the referendum means that North Park Fire may curtail fire assistance to ambulances on emergency calls. North Park Fire also may postpone a planned consolidation on a donated 2-acre site that’s more centrally located within the three districts it serves.
The New Milford Fire Protection District also asked for a property tax increase to pay for new equipment. The increase would have resulted in a $32 annual tax increase on a home valued at $100,000. It was rejected by nearly 61 percent of voters. New Milford’s fire operations haven’t seen a tax increase since the 1980s, and the budget has had to account for rising equipment costs.
The Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District sought a tax increase to pay future pension costs. The measure would have resulted in a $1.72 annual property tax increase for the owner of a $100,000 home. It was rejected by 57 percent of the voters.
