No Tax Hike in 2014 Cherry Hill Fire Budget, Officials Say

Taxes will remain flat in 2014 under the $27.7 million Cherry Hill Fire District No. 13 budget, which received unanimous approval from the fire commissioners when introduced Thursday night.

The amount raised by taxes is actually down slightly—to $21.75 million from $22 million a year ago—and reserve funds will make up the difference in the budget, which is roughly $2.2 million more than last year's. Taxable ratables were down slightly following last year's slate of appeals, which complicated the math slightly, fire officials said.

“The board was committed to no tax increase,” said Tom Fiorentini, the district's principal staff assistant.

A capital improvement plan OK'd last year is still moving along, Fiorentini said, albeit somewhat slowly—the two biggest pieces of that plan, a new ladder truck and a rescue pumper, could join the township's fleet by the fall of next year, depending on when final funding is approved.

As he did last year, Fiorentini stressed those new pieces of equipment are coming in purely on reserve cash—there's no bond associated with the purchases.

The fire commissioners are tentatively scheduled to hold a public hearing and final vote on the 2014 budget on Jan. 2, before it goes to voters as part of the annual fire election on Feb. 15.