A resident last week wrote of his
frustration that the county has not engaged in multiple studies on a host of
issues. He chided the Board of Chosen
Freeholders for failing to reduce the cost of government. First, we Freeholders have cut the budget and
taxes four years in a row, lowering the cost of government. Secondly, we have investigated multiple
shared services avenues and taken action to move forward on a number of these items.
The issues that the writer wants studied
included police, fire, EMS, schools, tax collection and tax assessment. In reverse order, tax assessment cannot be
reallocated to the county by statute.
Our Shared Services Working Group including Assemblywoman Donna Simon,
investigated the pilot project in Gloucester County. Based on their success, we determined that Hunterdon County could potentially save $1 million on our $2 million dollar
county wide expenditure. This need not
be studied. Once the State changes the law,
Hunterdon can act.
Tax collection, which is similar in scope
to assessment, is also by statute to be done by municipalities as they are the
tax collection agency for all local governments. Changing the tax collector to a county
function would require several law changes.
Similar savings could likely be realized. Again, no study is necessary, what is
required is action in Trenton to allow us to make these changes.
Schools have been the subject of a
several month long analysis that has been written about in several newspapers. Raritan Township Committeeman John King and I, along with several
community members have developed a request for proposal for the county to issue
to study school consolidation. Before
diving into a study, we did a lot of examination on the educational
improvements and financial benefits of regionalized and/or a county wide
school. A study of this magnitude is not
something to be jumped into wantonly. We
have been taking a thoughtful approach before moving forward.
EMS and fire service could serve as an
example to all government agencies in cooperation and regionalization. These services are already dispatched by the
county, training is largely done by the county, and through their respective
Chiefs’ Associations, they coordinate response policies on a county wide
basis. Structure fires get responses
from multiple companies with several resources, thus no one company has to fund
and staff the full array of equipment needed to properly fight a fire. EMS agencies coordinate in a similar
fashion. Recent policy changes
coordinated with Hunterdon County Communications resulted in a 76% improved
response time to cardiac calls. By
working with these agencies the county is keeping costs in check without
expensive consultants and studies.
Police merging was studied in great
detail. The rosiest scenario would save
a typical Hunterdon county homeowner in one of the 13 towns that have police about
$50. Even a casual observer of the
Somerset County study, the referendum in Franklin Township and even the events
in West Amwell and Flemington when police mergers were suggested demonstrates
that the majority of voters want their police.
The County stands ready to help towns pursue mergers if they wish the
help.
The notion that my colleagues and I have
not reduced the cost of government, reduced its size and shirked our duty to
the public is farcical. Millions less in
spending, a public workforce reduction of nearly 20%, actively engaged in the
effort to share services, consolidate and regionalize. We will perform studies prudently, after a
thorough analysis that shows the money spent will bear fruit, to do otherwise
would be, well, not doing our job.
