Lambertville voters approved Fire District No. 1's $7.5 million request for three new fire trucks and work on the firehouse at 230 North Main Street on November 3. In Hunterdon County's unofficial municipal report, the question passed 1,220 to 845. That vote was the first of two. The second is a staffing referendum on Saturday, February 20, 2027. The district's own projections put its cost for the average property above anything the truck vote adds in any year through 2031.
If you're comparing Lambertville with other river towns, this changes how to read a current tax bill. A fire charge set by election appears on every Lambertville bill. Its next few years depend on a February ballot more than on the result everyone covered this month.
A Separate Line With Its Own Ballot
In Lambertville, fire protection isn't part of the city budget. LambPage explains that the department sits outside it, so the city has a fire tax. Fire District No. 1 is run by a five-member Board of Fire Commissioners. Residents elect the board, and it manages the district's budget and equipment.
The district's 2026 numbers show the size of that line today:
| 2026 item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total adopted budget | $1,545,748.20 |
| Amount raised by taxation | $1,387,210.20 |
| Total assessed valuation in the district | $1,028,705,569 |
| Fire district rate, per $100 of assessed value | $0.135 on the county's 2026 table |
The district's referendum projections divide costs across 2,055 ratables. Run the 2026 numbers through that count:
- The 2026 tax levy works out to about $675 per average ratable.
- The district's total assessed valuation works out to an average of about $500,000 per ratable.
That average lines up with MyCentralJersey's description of the referendum tax estimates as based on a home assessed at $500,000. So $675 a year is a reasonable baseline for the "average ratable" figures below.
Why the District Kept Going Back to Voters
The district's town hall presentation explains why these votes are happening now. It says costs for salaries, equipment, benefits and other expenses have run well past the fire district's 2% levy cap, a problem it traces to the 2023–24 budget cycles. The presentation says the district has put off a referendum as long as it could and can't continue doing so. It presents both votes as the way to cover the gap.
The fleet is where the cap has fallen furthest behind. As the presentation describes it:
- Rescue Engine 17 is 16 years old and was bought used in 2010. Its yearly maintenance costs $25,000, and the NFPA standard the district cites says frontline trucks should move to reserve at age 15.
- The Engine 17 tanker is 36 years old and was donated. It's used mainly in parts of the city that aren't connected to the city water system, including the Hills, the Blair Tract and South Main Street.
- The 2014 tower ladder, called Goliath, is only about 30% effective within the city because of its size and design. It needs a $175,000 major component that would put it out of service for at least six months.
The presentation says the district bought earlier trucks used as a stopgap and didn't follow the replacement schedule, so all three now need replacing at once. Waiting has also become expensive. The district's comparison puts a new engine at $725,000 to $900,000 with 13 to 18 months for delivery in 2021. In 2026 the same engine runs $1 million to $1.4 million and takes 48 to 54 months.
What November Bought, and When It Reaches the Bill
The approved question lets the district spend up to $7.5 million and finance it with bonds, bond anticipation notes or lease-purchase financing. The district's breakdown:
- Apparatus, $5,324,626.13 total:
- New Engine 17: $1,130,241
- Tanker heavy engine: $1,235,216.61
- Ladder truck: $2,459,168.52
- Outfitting for all three: $500,000
- Firehouse work, $1,750,000: an addition, renovation of the existing bays, site work, an unfinished second floor, painting, HVAC, and new asphalt, curbing and sidewalks.
LambPage reported that the station has one shower for its men and women firefighters, and that night-shift crews sleep on beds in the community room. The addition is meant to add showers, a kitchen, offices, storage, a gym and a repair shop. In the same piece, Fire Chief Mike Barlow told LambPage, "This isn't just 'we want shiny new toys.' This is a need." He said the referendum took almost five years to put together.
The timing matters for anyone buying soon. The district's projection shows no added tax from this vote in 2027. It shows $60.71 per average ratable in 2028, then slightly smaller amounts each year through 2031, then a jump to $258.04 in 2032. The funding plan describes borrowing in stages as each piece of work needs money, with repayment matched to the useful life of the improvements. Chief Barlow told LambPage before the vote that residents wouldn't see improvements until "this time next year."
February Is the Larger Number
Staffing was originally part of the plan. The district's FAQ says it was taken out of the November question after legal review and moved to a separate process. That process is the February 20, 2027 referendum. It asks voters to approve an increase in the district's operating budget so it can hire firefighters and bring staffing up toward national standards.
The table below puts the district's two published projections side by side. The combined column is simple addition. All figures are per average ratable.
| Year | November capital vote (approved) | February staffing vote (proposed) | Both together |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | $0 | $293.94 | $293.94 |
| 2028 | $60.71 | $299.82 | $360.53 |
| 2029 | $59.23 | $347.16 | $406.39 |
| 2030 | $58.25 | $354.10 | $412.35 |
| 2031 | $57.26 | $361.18 | $418.44 |
| 2032 | $258.04 | $368.41 | $626.45 |
Compare those figures with the roughly $675 the 2026 levy works out to per average ratable. The staffing projection for 2027 alone is equal to about 44% of that amount. In 2032, the two projections together approach the full amount the district raises per ratable today. The district projects the staffing increase at $604,053.68 in 2027, rising to $757,075.81 in 2032.
The presentation's staffing profile shows what that money is meant to change. Today the department has 2 full-time firefighters, 56 per-diem part-time firefighters and 1 volunteer. It runs three eight-hour shifts with two, four and four firefighters on duty. The district says it lacks the funding to meet the minimum staffing standard in NFPA 1710. The presentation also says that without more funding, service would begin to decline on January 1, 2027, with fewer staff per shift and fewer services overall.
Reading a Lambertville Tax Bill With Both Votes in Mind
A seller's recent tax bills show the fire line under the 2026 rate. Those bills predate both referendums. The November vote's cost begins in the district's 2028 projection. If February's question passes, its cost begins in the 2027 projection, so it would show up sooner. For a buyer closing in 2027, the fire line on future bills depends partly on a vote held a few months from now.
Fire protection here also involves a few separate organizations, and the presentation spells out the difference. Lambertville Fire District 1 is taxpayer-funded and governed by its five elected commissioners. The Union Fire Company is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies mainly on donations and fundraisers. The Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance & Rescue Squad is also a nonprofit that raises money each year, as LambPage has covered.
The per-ratable figures here are the district's pre-vote projections for an average property. They aren't a quote for any particular home, and the final cost depends on how the borrowing is structured. This post is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Confirm the numbers for a specific property with the tax collector or your own advisor.
A Few Direct Questions
Is the November result final? Hunterdon County's report labels the November 3 returns unofficial. NJ.com included the question in its roundup of what New Jersey voters decided.
What happens if the February question fails? LambPage reported before the November vote that if that question failed, the department would have had to try again in February and might have had to petition the state Department of Community Affairs for funding. For the staffing question, the district's presentation points to the service reductions it says would begin on January 1, 2027 without more funding.
Where can I read the district's own numbers? The town hall presentation, the 2026 budget and the referendum FAQ are all on the district's site. The county publishes the fire district rate on its 2026 tax rates page.
If you're weighing a Lambertville home or getting one ready to sell before February's vote, Nick Esser can go through the seller's tax history with you and lay the district's projections next to it, so you can see the fire line before you set a price or make an offer. Start with a free home valuation.
