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Residents press Montgomery Township for clearer costs and phased options on fire-staffing plan
Summary
At a township town hall, residents asked for neighborhood-level tax breakdowns, alternate staffing schedules and a longer-term plan; officials said they will publish spreadsheets, an alternate 24/48 scenario and commission a feasibility study to clarify capital needs.
Many residents at the Montgomery Township town hall focused on the finance and implementation details of the proposed staffing expansion, asking for clearer cost breakdowns, options to phase hiring, and more robust public outreach before the board acts.
"The starting salary for a firefighter, next year, if this goes through, would be $82,000," Township Manager Carolyn McCreery said in response to audience requests for transparency about wages versus total program costs.
Several residents said the headline numbers felt large and wanted side-by-side comparisons of alternate schedules (for example, 24/48 versus 24/72) and a clear statement about whether station renovations or a new building would be needed. Resident Omar Elizardo asked officials to publish the spreadsheets used to calculate neighborhood tax impacts; McCreery said those figures would be made available and that an alternate 24/48 scenario had been posted the day of the town hall.
Speakers also asked whether municipal tools such as a local services/EMS tax or business assessments might offset residential impacts; Township staff noted the township already levies a local services tax (about $52 per year) and discussed the limits of relief-association funds, which cannot pay career salaries. Officials said the relief association currently holds roughly $600,000 and foreign fire tax receipts add about $220,000 annually, but those funds are restricted for volunteer support and shared equipment.
Residents urged broader outreach, including direct mail or a referendum; McCreery responded that the board of supervisors is elected to make budgetary decisions and that the township has used web pages, podcasts, digital signs and mailed notices but will consider additional outreach steps.
The meeting closed with managers saying they would relay comments to the board, publish detailed financials and proceed with a feasibility study to inform the board’s decision on the staffing proposal.
