Onset Fire District voters will cast ballots in the annual election on Tuesday, May 21. There are no contested races on the ballot.

Marcine Fernandes is seeking re-election to a three-year term on the Prudential Committee. Water Commissioner Brian O’Hearne is also seeking re-election to a three-year term on that board.

There is also a one-year moderator term on the ballot, but nobody has taken out nomination papers for the position, and the opportunity to do so ended on April 11. A moderator for the annual district meeting will be appointed on the night of the meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 20.

Fernandes says there’s still work to be done in the district, and she wants to help.

“I’d like to stay to finish the jobs that I’ve started ... to bring the district into the 21st century,” said Fernandes.

Fernandes said that there is currently no comprehensive book that members of the district can refer to in order to look up changes in bylaws or other policies that have been set over the years, and she’s looking to change that.

“Everything should be easily accessible. All I’m doing is putting all the policies that have been in place, all in one place,” Fernandes explained.

O’Hearne says that one of his main goals as a Water Commissioner is to find alternative revenue sources in order to help slow water rate increases.

He pointed out that the district’s expenses go one way — up — and therefore the district is looking for new ways to bring money in so as to ease the burden on the ratepayers.

“Every time things go up, the only people who can pay are the ratepayers, so we’re looking at alternative sources” he noted.

O’Hearne says that the limited space in Onset presents a challenge when it comes to keeping rates down. The more homes are built, the more the financial burden is spread about. Being as small as it is, Onset is not likely to see much more construction, according to O’Hearne, which means that in order to keep rates down the district must find new ways to generate revenue.

The district’s “expenses never go down,” he explained, “and we can’t have our ratepayers paying more and more.”

Despite the always increasing expenses, O’Hearne says that the district has managed to reduce spending by 0.3% this year compared with last year.

He added: “We were able to get a real favorable rate for the new well,” which was built last year in the Sand Pond Road area.

The Onset Fire District annual election will take place Tuesday, May 21. District voters may cast ballots at the Dudley L. Brown VFW, located at 4 Gibbs Ball Park Road in Onset, between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.