DEBATE WITH THE STATE
NJDCA SAYS THE REPORTER GOT IT TWISTED
“OH BOY…” said Mr. Kennedy when I introduced myself on the phone. Robert Kennedy [no, not that one] works for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs [NJDCA] in Trenton and has been closely following the Mount Holly Fire District’s failure to pass a budget. Mr. Kennedy fielded a number of sharply worded emails from the Mount Holly Reporter disputing certain arcane regulatory citations.
Before your eyes glaze over, let me summarize the dispute as follows: The Mount Holly Reporter contends that the NJDCA advised Mt. Holly’s Fire District to ignore a 10 day notice period for the budget hearing. That hearing is about to take place on February 27, 2026 at 17 Pine Street. Mr. Kennedy said that The Reporter has the regulations twisted regarding the amount of notice given by the Fire District.
The Reporter recognizes that Mr. Kennedy literally works for the state agency that enforces the rules in question, but we disagree on this particular issue. For any regulatory geek out there who wants to dive into the deep end, look up N.J.S.A. 40A:14-78.1 through N.J.S.A. 40A:14-78.4.
See https://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/title-40a/40a-14-78.1.html
The disagreement revolves around the relationships between -78.1, -78.2 and -78.3 with reference to the two Resolutions that will be heard at the February 27th hearing.
What brings everyone together is the fact that the Mount Holly Fire District is way behind on passing a budget. We all agree that its important to resolve the budget delinquency as soon as practicable. Where we part ways is whether the hearing can be rushed.
What would be very helpful to the District is be the presence of an attorney who specializes in Fire District law. Unfortunately, since February 10, 2025, the Fire District has retained and then lost four attorneys. The latest departure coming last month. The District currently has no attorney to advise them and a point of contention at the last FD meeting was whether the District would advertise the Request for Proposal [seeking an attorney] that was approved in December 2025.
Residents are urged to attend the Special Meeting on February 27, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The meeting will take place at the Mount Holly Fire District No. 1, 17 Pine Street, Mount Holly, New Jersey.
https://home.mounthollyfire.org/uncategorized/special-meeting-notice-3/