Will Townships’ Fire Districts Shift Elections? Newly-signed Law Allows Switch to November

COURT HOUSE – Fire district elections, held the third Saturday in February to elect commissioners and pass a budget, draw few voters. Many who cast ballots are firefighters or their family members.
Some examples from the last fire district election Feb. 18,
* Tuckahoe approved its budget of $498,300 by a 17-3 vote.
* Town Bank, Fire District 2, approved a $1.25-million budget requiring $989,500 to be raised by taxation, 91-51.
* Court House, Fire District 1, voters approved a $1.2-million budget, 77-16.
Those numbers could change if the districts opt to shift their elections to the November general election. There is no mandate but the new law permits such action.
Gov. Chris Christie signed into law the bill (S660), Aug. 7, co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) that permits such elections as part of the larger ballot when federal, state, county and municipal and school candidates are elected. By doing so, the expense of separate elections would be eliminated.
Those special elections require manpower at the polls, usually the local firehouse, from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m.
County Clerk Rita Fulginiti, who had monitored the movement of such legislation for an extended time, told the Herald, “The legislation is permissive in that the Fire Election District may opt to hold their annual election in November (or not). If a Fire District opts for the November Election, it may not revert back to the third Saturday in February.”
Fulginiti continued, “The County Clerk and the Board of Elections will be meeting about this (law) so that we are prepared for administering Fire District Elections in 2019 should any or all of the 14 Fire Districts located in Lower, Dennis, Middle and Upper townships opt to hold their annual elections at the time of the General Election in November. 
“By then the Board of Elections is charged with determining if it is possible for Fire Districts to hold their annual election in November and if not if boundary changes to the Fire Districts would make it possible.”
Part of the problem moving forward said Fulginiti, “Is that not all the Fire Election Districts in the county are consistent with election districts within the municipality. 
“The boundaries of Fire Districts in Dennis, Lower and Middle Township (not Upper Township) partially overlap two or more election districts in the municipality.”
For example, Court House Fire District No. 1 encompasses territory approximately north from Indian Trail Road to the Dennis Township border on Route 9, Avalon Manor, and Stone Harbor Manor.
Rio Grande Fire District No. 2 has coverage from south of Indian Trail Road bordering Lower Township and Green Creek.
Green Creek Fire District No. 3 has territory along Route 47 to Indian Trail Road, all Del Haven and Pierce’s Point.
Goshen Fire District No. 4 has territory from approximately Reed’s Beach Road north to the Dennis Township border as well as the immediate Goshen area.
As another example, those four Middle Township fire districts encompass 18 voting districts. Thus, the need for the county clerk and Board of Elections to become involved in any decisions made by the fire districts.