Monroe Township Mayor Richard Pucci plans to sit down soon with fire officials from District 1 to discuss the recent layoffs of two paid firefighters.

The mayor and the Township Council have no legal authority over the Board of Fire Commissioners, which is elected by residents of the district.

“We don’t directly control that,” Pucci said. “But I’m going to try to use my position to get to the bottom of it.”

Pucci is questioning why the District 1 board appeared to have included the two firefighters in its 2010 budget, but then let them go anyway.

Union President James Grande and newly elected Fire Commissioner Scott Kivet have said the layoffs will compromise response times during the daytime. The district, one of three in Monroe, had used the two paid firefighters to augment an otherwise all-volunteer membership.

Pucci said he was not questioning fire coverage, but rather how the matter was handled.

“The volunteer force in District 1 has for decades done an outstanding job, including calls during the days,” he said. “But with that said, with the two men there was always an additional comfort level there. The taxes are the same. The budget was approved. I don’t see any reason why this occurred so quickly.”

The District 1 commissioners voted 4-1 at the Feb. 17 meeting to terminate paid firefighters Michael Mangeri and David Shapter, effective March 5. The two men had worked a shift from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The vote came less than a month after residents attended a meeting and asked if a workforce reduction was reflected in the 2010 budget, and board Chairman Charles DiPierro said there was not, according to the meeting minutes.

Kivet was elected as a fire commissioner in February, shortly after Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 Chief Lonnie Pipero suspended him from his volunteer firefighting duties because he circulated a petition demanding the two paid positions be kept.

For now, he is riding as a volunteer with the Plainsboro Fire Co., while appealing his suspension in Monroe.

Kivet said he is expecting a large crowd at the next board meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. March 17 at the district offices at 24 Harrison Ave.

“I urge taxpayers, residents and business owners to attend if you have any concerns,” Kivet said. “I’ll do everything possible to answer questions to the best of my capabilities.”

Kivet said he asked the other board members to consider moving the meeting to a larger location, but got no response.

“There’s going to be a lot of people there who are upset,” he said. “They want questions answered.”

There wasn’t enough room for some people who attended the Feb. 17 meeting, Kivet said. The fire district building seats 80 to 100 people, he said.

“Not everybody was able to get inside,” he said. “People were waiting outside. It wasn’t right.”

Pucci said he was “comfortable” with the volunteer staffing during the day, but upset about the way the layoff process was handled.

“We are well-covered with backup from other fire districts and other communities,” the mayor said. “From the standpoint of fire protection, we are well-served in that area.”

“But I want to get to the bottom of it,” Pucci added. “Kivet’s substantial victory means the public reacted to it. I’m certainly going to be looking into it in the future as mayor. I want to make sure we don’t have any controversy over there.”

Grande, who represents the township’s 52 career firefighters, said the union had already filed unfair labor practice charges with the State Public Employment Relations Commission before the layoffs. The charges were filed over threats by the district to eliminate career firefighters, Grande has said.