By Sunayana Prabhu
Four local government organizations, including the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Medical Service (EMS), the Borough of Shrewsbury and the county, have won the state’s Local Efficiency Achievement Program (LEAP) grants this year for forging shared service initiatives to maximize public benefit.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration and the state’s shared services czars announced the LEAP grants for fiscal year 2024 – administered through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) – in a press release last month.
Monmouth County won a County Coordinator Fellowship Grant of $75,000; the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education Regionalization won a $400,000 implementation grant; the county sheriff’s EMS was awarded $400,000; and Shrewsbury received a $352,995 grant for shared dispatch services with the county.
Last week, the newly expanded Henry Hudson Regional School District, which serves kindergarten through 12th-grade students from Atlantic Highlands and Highlands, learned it was approved for the maximum grant award. In January 2024, the districts that comprised the former Henry Hudson Tri-District applied for a LEAP grant to assist with additional costs the new district would incur while implementing the regionalization approved during the successful September 2023 referendum.
“When we completed our feasibility study, we knew that there would be one-time costs, such as legal fees, consultant fees and substantial integration of our data platforms, technology infrastructure, communication and security systems,” said Tara Beams, the district’s superintendent. “This grant is critical for the district to complete this integration without impacting our general operating budget. We are grateful to the DCA for supporting our work with these important grants.”
This year’s LEAP grants, totaling over $3.4 million, provide financial assistance to local government entities such as counties, municipalities, school districts, authorities and fire districts across the state to identify, study and implement shared services initiatives.
“Change is never easy for people and local governments alike,” DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez said in the release, encouraging local government leaders to explore shared services opportunities that may reduce costs and improve deliverables to community residents. “Our approach allows for data-driven decision-making, community engagement, and a solutions-focused perspective in managing challenges with expert guidance and grant funding.”
Shrewsbury Borough moved to shared dispatch with Monmouth County in May 2023 and has seen the benefits of the “seamless” service.
The LEAP grant is helping the borough cover the implementation costs it incurred when switching to the county dispatch system. Joining the county system has helped the borough keep its municipal budget “in check” and avoid having to raise taxes, especially during “tough economic times,” said Mayor Kim Eulner in a phone interview Aug. 5.
The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners is “thrilled” the county was awarded a LEAP grant to enhance its shared services program. In an email response, Thomas A. Arnone, Monmouth County Commissioner director and liaison to the Division of Shared Services, spoke about the broader benefits of the program, noting it provides “excellent services for our residents while being financially responsible.” He further added that services such as the 9-1-1 shared dispatch, public works assistance, cooperative purchasing programs and records management “are important examples of this work and it allows our partners to reduce the tax burden on its residents without sacrificing services.”
Among the many shared services in the county, MedStar, the emergency medical service initiated and run by the sheriff’s office, has reported significant advantages with the support of LEAP grants.
Since its launch in February, MedStar has responded to more than 2,200 calls, bolstering municipalities’ emergency medical services infrastructure by assisting them with emergency medical calls.
“Receiving this award for our county-run Emergency Medical Services operation, MedStar, is significant to the ongoing efforts in enhancing community safety and emergency response. The funding will be instrumental in strengthening shared service initiatives which we collaboratively forge,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden wrote in an email response July 30.
Volunteer EMS units play a crucial role in serving communities, and we continue to support their efforts as we all ensure that residents receive the highest level of care when they need it most. The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office thanks the Board of County Commissioners for their support and the Department of Community Affairs for this generous award.”
The LEAP program encourages towns to streamline government entities to increase efficiency and the quality of life for residents while keeping taxes under control.
The state has awarded 120 LEAP grants totaling more than $18.1 million since the program launched in 2020. There are three types of LEAP grant opportunities: Challenge Grants, which promote innovation and collaboration on more expansive projects that produce shared services of notable significance; Implementation Grants, which assist local governments in covering costs associated with the implementation of shared services and school feasibility studies; and County Coordinator Fellowship Grants, which support the position of a full-time or part-time County Shared Service Coordinator to identify and advance potential shared services within a county.
To encourage and support local governments’ interest in shared services, the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) established the Local Assistance Bureau (LAB), which provides technical assistance to local officials and staff for each step of the shared services process, from identification through implementation. The LAB team is comprised of former municipal professionals who possess the expertise and accumulated knowledge, skill sets and insights to bring an inventive and skilled outlook to the field of municipal shared services. Staffing expertise ranges from police, fire, emergency management services, municipal court, finance, business, administrators/managers and public works.
DLGS serves as an advocate for local government interests and provides technical and financial assistance in budgeting, financial reporting, joint services, purchasing and management issues. It is responsible for the financial integrity of all local government units and reviews and approves all municipal, county and fire district budgets. The division also reviews many local government financial actions and governs and guides the conduct of local government officials.
In addition to local government services, DCA offers a wide range of programs, including affordable housing production, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, disaster recovery and mitigation, historic preservation and information privacy.
The article originally appeared in the August 15 – 21, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
