Potential Tax Relief For First Responders Backed By Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Volunteer first responders in and around Washington Township may be eligible for financial assistance under a proposed amendment to the New Jersey Constitution under consideration in Trenton.

Members of the Washington Township Committee discussed their unanimous support for the resolution at a township committee meeting last month.

According to Township Administrator Andrew Coppola, the resolution, sponsored by Anthony Bucco, would authorize a state constitutional amendment to allow municipalities to offer partial property tax relief to certain first responders.

The tax exemption would apply to any active member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer first aid squad, or volunteer rescue squad.

According to the resolution, if passed, the amendment would allow a municipality to provide a partial property tax exemption of up to ten percent of the assessed value of residential property located in the municipality through an ordinance.

If passed, Washington Township would be in charge of determining the percentage amount of the exemption, which could not be more than 10 percent of the assessed value.

The state would not be required to reimburse municipalities for the cost of the exemption.

The credit is being offered as a way to encourage more residents to volunteer as first responders, according to the bill's sponsor. Because of the pandemic's unprecedented public health challenges, the services provided by volunteer first responders have also grown more complex.

The township recently engaged in legal action against the Heath Village Retirement Community, in response to a passed ordinance that would have penalized emergency ambulance calls that did not require advanced life support.

The township enacted the ordinance after the Long Valley First Aid Squad complained to Heath Village in July 2022 about what the volunteers considered unnecessary ambulance calls, according to the lawsuit.

The squad chief stated at the time that Heath Village's calls had increased to around 150 to date, up from 30 to 40 in previous years.

The reason for the increase, according to Heath Village officials, is that due to a staffing shortage during the pandemic, Atlantic Ambulance Corp. had to stop providing round-the-clock ambulance services, forcing Heath Village to call in the first aid squad.

Washington Township Mayor Matt Murello went on to say that the township committee's goal is to keep the community's emergency services from being overburdened.

In the township, there are several volunteer service providers.

The Long Valley First Aid Squad is an all-volunteer organization that provides emergency medical services and rescue services to the Washington Township community.

With the first aid squad, community members do not receive a bill for their services, making them an important asset to the community.

The first aid squad was formed and incorporated on April 19, 1957; prior to that date, the community relied on the Chester Volunteer Fire Company's first aid squad.

Long Valley Fire Company is the second volunteer-run emergency service team in Washington Township, having served the community for many years.

The Long Valley Fire Company, founded in 1921, is a life-saving/property-saving organization with over 100 years of emergency response experience in the community. The fire department is supported through fundraisers and donations from events.

Washington Township is also home to two other volunteer fire companies, Fairmount Fire Company No. 1 and Schooleys' Mountain Fire Company.

If the proposed amendment is approved by the legislature, it must then be approved by the state's residents via a ballot question.