Following public pressure and policy changes, questions remain about funding, oversight, and implementation

Context

After the initial vote this year to approve changes to the Fire Prevention Bureau, NJ21st started a petition that secured over 300 signatures urging the Town Council to keep the Bureau under the Fire Department. Public pressure likely contributed to a compromise in the final version, which placed the Bureau under Code Enforcement rather than the Building Department.

Language in First Reading:
“There is hereby established, as a division of the Berkeley Heights Volunteer Fire Department Number 1 Building Department, a bureau to be designated as the ‘Bureau of Fire Prevention.’”

Language in Final Version:
“There is hereby established, as a division of the Berkeley Heights Volunteer Fire Department Number 1 Code Enforcement, a bureau to be designated as the ‘Bureau of Fire Prevention.’”

This change could have been an effort to preserve some connection to the Fire Department while offering the administrative flexibility the Township was hoping for in the original version.

Budget Overview

2023 (actual): Salaries & Wages: $21,780.30; Operating Expenses: $7,489.93
Total Expended: $29,270.23

2024 (adopted): Fire Official Salary: $18,000; Fire Inspectors Salary: $10,298.40; Operating Expenses: $5,000
Total Budget: $33,298.40; Amount Expended: $23,660.16

2025 (proposed): Fire Official Salary: $18,000; Fire Inspectors Salary: $11,605; Operating Expenses: $10,300
Total Budget: $39,505.00

These figures refer specifically to the “Fire Prevention Operating” budget line and does not include other fire-related expenses like hydrant maintenance, which are handled in separate parts of the budget.

In 2023, $29,270.23 was spent ($4,000 under budget). In 2024, spending dropped to $23,660.16, leaving ~ $10,000 on the table. The Fire Official’s salary stayed flat at $18,000. Inspector pay saw a slight increase in 2025, and operating expenses doubled—but the overall budget still remains pretty modest.

At the same time, fire inspection revenues hit $10,732.68 by early May of 2025—approximately half the Township’s projected total for the year (see audit trail in OPRA Request link at end of article).

Structural Issues

Our OPRA request asked for records showing fire inspection and re-inspection revenue collected each year, and any budget documents showing how those dollars are used.

Despite the requirements outlined in Ordinance 2025-12, the Township did not provide an organizational chart or explanation of how the Bureau is structured. It is reasonable to expect that these documents be in place as part of the policy development process and certainly before the Council voted on the ordinance. There were no responsive documents connected to staffing plans, oversight assignments, or internal documents outlining how the ordinance is being implemented.

The Township did release total revenue figures for inspections but it did not supply any documents showing how those funds are being allocated or reinvested to support fire code enforcement.

Ordinance 2025-12 was controversial from the start. Without any paper-trail showing how it’s being carried out, it’s fair to question how seriously the Township is approaching this. It also reinforces concerns about whether this could be a first step toward outsourcing or merging fire code enforcement functions—though no such proposal has been formally introduced. One individual familiar with internal discussions within the department at the time told NJ21st that this possibility had been raised by several members of the BHFD. According to this source, the change to the ordinance prior to the final vote eased some of these concerns.

OPRA Request Submitted to the Township and Responsive Records

2024 Budget Document

2025 Budget Document

Read More on the Fire Prevention Controversies

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