Montgomery Township board authorizes advertisement of 2026 budget and fire-tax ordinance amid resident calls for independent study

Montgomery Township’s Board of Supervisors voted to authorize advertisement of the proposed 2026 budget — which includes a plan to hire 11 additional firefighters — and separately authorized advertising an ordinance to establish a dedicated fire tax that would initially appear as 1.71 mills on real-estate tax bills.

The actions, taken during a public meeting, set both the budget and the proposed ordinance out for public inspection and notice ahead of later adoption votes. Township staff said the 1.71-mill figure represents the new 1.15-mill increase together with the existing 0.56 mills internally allocated to fire protection.

Why it matters: The staffing proposal would shift the department toward four platoons with more career coverage and would be paid for in part by the new fire tax. Residents and some supervisors said the decisions and the advertised millage are consequential because they would create recurring tax obligations and long-term personnel commitments.

Residents ask for a pause and independent study

Several residents and the supervisor-elect, Eric Pelletier, urged the board not to proceed without a third-party, independent staffing and facilities study. Reading a prepared…