Carneys Point committee weighs $78,000 request to sustain fire personnel, flags ambulance staffing and billing

Mayor Brown convened the Carneys Point Township Committee on Feb. 22 to continue budget deliberations that centered on the township’s fire and emergency medical services, including a request for township funding to preserve grant-supported personnel and multiple capital and staffing needs.

C. Ehret, the township’s chief municipal finance officer, told the committee the budget must be reduced to get under the Appropriation CAP — “about $19,000” — and said the current draft equates to “about a 2.2% tax increase.” That shortfall set the tone for much of the ensuing discussion about how to cover growing emergency-service costs without worsening the tax impact.

Fire Chief Ted Stranahan said the department expects a new rescue truck may arrive by May 1 and attributed long procurement delays to difficulty sourcing parts and metal. He told the committee calls have risen sharply, “from about 350 calls to about 750,” and reported that, as presented in the meeting, there are “about 4,000 ambulance calls a year” in the broader service area. To help retain responders he described stipend models used by nearby towns — “Logan, Pennsville and Woolwich pay $10.00 per call,” he said — and estimated that a $10-per-call stipend would cost about $30,000 annually for Carneys Point.

Stranahan said a grant currently funds fire personnel for roughly three and a half years and asked the township to provide $78,000 to keep that staffing funded. The Committee did not vote on that funding request during the meeting; members discussed options including increased billing for certain calls, shared services for fire prevention administration, and a committee to study expanding shared services with Penns Grove and Oldmans.

Committee members and fire representatives also reviewed capital and facility needs. Bryan Johnson, representing fire business interests at the meeting, said fundraising has been hampered by problems with the fire organization’s 501(c) status and asked the Solicitor to advise on remedies. The firehouse requires repairs — members discussed ceiling lights, air-conditioning replacement, electrical work tied to an uninstalled sign that had been quoted at $13,000, and hazardous exposed wires in a side bay. Johnson and others cited floor surfaces as a safety concern and reported an estimate of $58,000 to redo the floor.

On smaller capital items, the Committee unanimously approved a motion by Mr. Pelura, seconded by Mayor Brown, to authorize giving away a washer and dryer (pending Solicitor approval). Later in the meeting, members discussed recruitment incentives such as offering fitness-club memberships to firefighters to encourage new members.

Ambulance service needs drew further attention in the second segment of the meeting. Stranahan said a new ambulance had just been received and recommended keeping a 2017 unit as a backup; he noted one vehicle had about 60,000 miles last year and that the service logged 13 calls on one day. He recommended adding a second crew during daytime hours to respond to demand. The Chief also urged the township to begin billing for transports, saying nursing homes no longer cover transport costs when they call, which increases the financial strain on local EMS.

Specific EMS capital requests were raised, including a stretcher quoted in the meeting at $39,880.60 and a request for a vital-signs monitor for each ambulance; the transcript lists the monitor price unclearly, so the Committee noted the monitors as a requested item and asked for clarified quotes. No formal appropriation votes for these EMS items were recorded in the minutes.

The Committee also briefly discussed administrative and personnel matters: updating the township’s rating (last done in 2017), promotion and hiring plans for a third lieutenant and one officer this year, and the Solicitor’s requested salary increase to $60,000. During public participation, Patty Bomba described calling the nonemergency line for help when her granddaughter needed assistance navigating steps at a hairdresser; she said the call was routed to the County, which dispatched an ambulance rather than an officer, and she thanked the Committee for clarifying how to request assistance.

With no further business, Mr. Pelura moved to adjourn, Mrs. Shaw seconded, and the motion passed with four affirmative votes. The meeting adjourned at 12:06 p.m.