Bayshore area towns share a similar geography and comparable maintenance obstacles. That has some municipal officials pondering the benefits of a regional shared service agreement.
Some think it could work, and one borough administrator says she’s already taking the steps to test the viability.
During a recent monthly meeting of the Bayshore mayors the topic was broached and approximately “90 to 95 percent” of the municipalities in attendance expressed interest in striking such an accord, said Highlands Borough administrator Kim Gonzales.
“Right now, if we want to do work with Union Beach or Hazlet, we can’t, because we don’t have an agreement in place and there is a process we would need to go through,” Gonzales said. “With a joint agreement in place, any town in the Bayshore region could opt in if they wanted to.”
Since the meeting, which occurred in May and included representatives of Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Hazlet, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Matawan and Middletown, Gonzales said she has had preliminary discussions with the New Jersey Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to lay the groundwork for an eventual feasibility study.
According to Gonzales, Highlands is currently using free DCA services for an audit of each of the borough’s municipal departments to determine if future personnel sharing is an option with the neighboring boroughs of Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright.
“What we’re looking to see is if, as employees retire, instead of replacing completely, can the three of us share the costs of bringing in someone new to oversee all of our operations,” Gonzales said. “These are the types of things that will save taxpayers and the towns money. And it aligns with what the state is looking to do.”
County and municipal government reform and the use of additional shared services is a pillar of the state Legislature’s Path to Progress, a bipartisan plan to rescue New Jersey from what Senate President Steve Sweeney called a “fiscal crisis.”
In addition to expanding interlocal shared services, Path to Progress calls for pension and benefit reform, leveraging assets to stabilize the pension system, education reform at the administrative level – including the concept of regional districts to create fewer administrative-level employees – and reworking the state and municipal tax structure.
“We don’t need the state to tell us that shared services are the way to go. We’ve all been doing that already,” Middletown Mayor Tony Perry said. “Reducing duplication and allowing for cost savings to occur is our responsibility.”
Perry said when the meeting’s discussion turned to a proposed regional shared service agreement he was immediately intrigued, but admits pulling it off could take some effort, especially when Middletown stands to shoulder a great deal of the operational burden.
“We investigate every shared service and sometimes proposals don’t get implemented because we don’t see enough of a benefit for the town. For this to work each governing body is going to have to weigh in on what they can bring to the table, Middletown included, and compare it to what they’re getting back. It will be a process, but it’s possible,” Perry said.
Last week Middletown broke ground at the future site of its new town hall complex, a 72,000-square-foot facility that will place all municipal operations, including the police department and court services, under one roof.
Perry views the new town hall construction as a possible centerpiece for this regional shared service accord and called it a potential resource for the entire Bayshore community.
“A lot of towns are leaning on Middletown and it’s because of our size and resources. But there’s benefits to us. One of the reasons we’re building the new town hall is because of the potential it creates to expand our shared services. I already see the potential court sharing, which already happens a lot in the Two River area. The more we share, the more we can reduce taxes for residents,” Perry said.
Earlier this month, Middletown announced its plans to investigate the Bayshore’s main thoroughfare, Route 36, as an area in need of redevelopment. The investigation will study about five miles of highway from the border of Keansburg at Palmer Avenue to the intersection of Leonardville Road and Route 36 near Atlantic Highlands. The goal is to create mechanisms that will entice developers to work with tricky properties that remain undeveloped, underutilized or abandoned.
According to Middletown Township administrator Tony Mercantante, the investigation could go out to bid in July.
Though the investigation is limited to Middletown properties, better collaboration and a pooling of resources could lead to similar research and development in other Route 36 municipalities.
Atlantic Highlands Borough administrator Adam Hubeny is a former police officer who said he’s witnessed the fruits of similar collaborative efforts at the technological level.
“We used to use a database so we can see if Joe Smith had been arrested previously in other municipalities. There is other software in use today, but it proves how useful regional services can be.”
Hubeny said his borough currently works with neighboring Highlands for mechanic work on municipal vehicles, as well as courtroom services. Another agreement is in place for Middletown to handle the borough’s brush and leaf collections.
But a regional agreement could expand the benefits.
“There’s absolutely a benefit to shared services in general, let alone regional collaboration. We would not be doing our job if we didn’t consider it. Fiscal responsibility lies with all of us,” Hubeny said.
The Bayshore mayors are due to meet again Friday, June 28.
