Mayor's letter to residents concerning Police and Court services
September 20, 2011
Contracting for Police Services and a Shared Court
Dear Chester Borough Residents and Neighbors,
The Joint Consolidation Study Commission of Chester Borough and Chester Township concluded its work in March, 2011. Significantly, the Commission decided without specific New Jersey funding (as provided in the state consolidation statutes) it would be costly to combine the municipalities and there would be a taxing imbalance. The study produced by the Center for Government Research (CGR) indentified some targets for improved efficiency and potential savings, even if consolidation did not occur. [The CGR reports can be found at: http://www.cgr.org/chester/index.aspx , under Documents, Reports.] One such area was Law Enforcement, which is a topic many people have raised when the issue of consolidation is discussed. As a result Chester Township has asked in a letter to the Borough Mayor and Council, whether Chester Borough would have an interest in discussing contracted police services. Upon that invitation, as Mayor, I placed the topic of contracting our police services and court into the Public Safety Committee.
The Committee has subsequently reported back to the Council, as follows:
- On July 19, 2011, the Committee indicated they wanted to consider both police services and a shared court. Further, their review would include specifying coverage, pricing and terms. The Committee indicated our attorney would begin drafting specifications.
- On August 23, 2011, the Committee passed out draft specifications to the Governing Body requesting their input. The draft specifications included three services for Chester Township to quote including 12 hour (nighttime) police coverage, 24 x 7 hour police coverage and a shared court.
- On September 6, 2011, the Committee received input from the Council, which is being considered by the Committee.
While no decision has yet been made regarding the contracting of police and/or shared court services, in recent years the issue of controlling local government expenses through shared services has grown dramatically. It has started from the voices of taxpayers, and gained momentum locally in Morris County, and has been a hot topic in Trenton. As you may be aware, municipal governments are subject to specific financial controls imposed by the State, including a 2% appropriation and tax cap. This is despite the fact that many of municipal costs grow faster than the cap. Accordingly, the idea of shared services is being explored across the State as a means to control costs.
Many municipalities who have explored shared service opportunities, or have implemented them, have routinely sought out community feedback to guide them in the process. Accordingly, your input is being sought. Your feedback on the topic of shared police and/or court services is requested. To that end all thoughtful comments are welcome, and will be considered in the process. You can express your thoughts personally at Council meetings; by way of a note or letter sent to the Borough Administrator or by email sent to the Borough Administrator at vegan@chesterborough.org.
As the process of exploring shared services continues, your input is important. Please spend a moment and give us your thoughts. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Davis, Mayor