Future of shared services in doubt
F.H. and Rumson vote to form joint committee
BY J.J. SULLIVAN III Correspondent

The proposals of the Two River Regional Police Study Group were met with guarded skepticism by officials in Rumson and Fair Haven last week, with both municipalities expressing serious doubts about the feasibility of consolidating their police departments.

The study's recommendation to consolidate three local law enforcement agencies in Little Silver, Rumson and Fair Haven into a single, regional police squad prompted the borough councils in both Fair Haven and Rumson to pass measures calling for additional study.

The Fair Haven council adopted a resolution on Sept. 8 approving the creation of a joint management committee (JMC) together with Little Silver and Rumson to improve communications between police officials in the neighboring towns.

Council members had concerns about the plans advocated in the study, conducted over an 18-month period by Patriot Consulting Group, Monmouth Beach. Some borough officials voiced doubts about the accuracy of information and suggestions in the study.

The joint committee was a proposal initially suggested by the Rumson Borough Council and was detailed in a letter mailed to residents. On Sept. 10, the Rumson council passed a resolution similar to the one adopted by Fair Haven.

Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, a former Little Silver councilman, who initiated the study, was at the Fair Haven council meeting to rally support for the study findings.

"I believe we should provide incentives for municipalities to move forward and not compel action through force," he told the council meeting. "I think ultimately we are going to end up with substantial savings."

Mayor Michael Halfacre was wary of the Patriot report, and urged the council to proceed cautiously.

"If the council is going to create and authorize a level of bureaucracy [the JMC], I want to be absolutely certain what it is going to be doing," the mayor reasoned. "Right now we are talking about creating something and charging it with a vaguely defined phase. I don't want to just create it, I want to know what the powers are. I want that information in front of us beforewe charge it with taking that next step."

He said the council should question whether or not they are fully committed to the study's conclusions as a sound plan of action.

"Are the savings and the guarantee of improved service enough to go all out?" asked Halfacre. "I am really on the fence about it. We need to be very careful about what resolution we adopt and what that resolution says."

According to Councilman Jerome Koch, the risks involved in such a process are too great. A letter circulated to Rumson residents echoed a sentiment similar to that expressed by Koch: "This has all the earmarks of a shotgun wedding."

Councilman John Lehnert offered support for the merger, saying it offers potential benefits to the community but was critical of the study data.

"I don't believe anything in the report. I don't believe the numbers contained in the report are correct," he argued. "We are getting a lot of fuzzy math."

O'Scanlon disagreed and tried to reassure the council members who remained unconvinced.

"I don't think it's fair to say when there are many verifiable facts in the report," the first-term assemblyman said.

According to the report, consolidation could result in annual savings anywhere from $1.5 million as early as 2011 to $2 million a year by 2017.

The area included in the study was composed of roughly 9.6 miles of land with a population of 19,244 permanent residents.

The study was partially funded by $25,000 provided by a New Jersey Sharing Available Resources Efficiently (SHARE) grant. The remainder of the costs, $15,000, was footed by the three towns. The report recommended a reduction in the combined police force, from 46 officers to 40. "It comes with infinite flexibility to allow a sense of security for local officials," O'Scanlon said. "[By creating a JMC through resolution], the council is not doing anything that can't be undone."

Councilman Christopher Rinn was a vocal proponent of adhering to the process detailed in the report, and O'Scanlon's strongest ally.

"We need to ask whether or not consolidating police services is something we want to pursue," Rinn said. "The report by Patriot answered whether it or not it was feasible, and I stand by those results. [The report] is not a series of guarantees but a logical effort using reasonable assumptions to form a reasonable conclusion. I believe we should move forward with the next step and authorize the implementation of the next phase."

However, Koch continued to express reservations despite voting to proceed.

"I think we would have to save a substantial amount of money to justify jeopardizing the services offered by the current police department," he contended. "You don't have to be a consultant to know that we have too many vehicles. The [Fair Haven police] have great morale, the chief has met all his fiscal requirements, so I feel we are heading in the right direction.

"If we can't get these guys together in one room and come up with some sort of solution, I do not think it is worth risking the loss of an integral part of the local community. I don't know how we can move forward."

The study was tasked with determining the likelihood of successfully creating a regional police force that would maintain highly efficient services while producing substantial fiscal savings.

Despite giving their approval, Fair Haven council members expressed doubts over the ability to achieve such an end, with some behind the dais sharing concerns over the letter signed by the Rumson mayor and council.

Available on the borough Web site, the letter states that "While a merger may be feasible and have the potential to result in a gross savings to all three towns, upon further analysis we do not agree that a significant net savings would result ... [the Rumson mayor and council] believe this service would not be enhanced with the merging of our police departments and therefore cannot support the conclusions found in the report."

Rumson officials suggested the three towns form a JMC that would meet on a regular basis and would include the three police chiefs "in an effort to improve communication" among the departments, as well as to examine other ways to cut costs "which could include the sharing of technology, equipment and communication networks, and the possible expansion of mutual aid."

Ultimately, the borough officials behind the letter concluded that an examination of the Patriot report led to a starkly different outcome than that described, predicting that "gross savings to [Rumson residents] will likely be reduced significantly by several factors which will ultimately result in a marginal net savings and in fact may result in higher costs."

Among the problems cited by Rumson officials were the lack of a central facility capable of housing the merged police force, the added expense of civilian positions suggested in the report, the lack of guaranteed funding into the future, as well as the burdensome cost of legal counsel that would come as a result of operating the JMC.

The formation of a JMC will have to be adopted by resolution by Little Silver, the only municipality of the three that has yet to sign off on a tentative resolution, an ordinance made legally binding after specifying the authority, parameters and breadth of the JMC's authority.

"The essential question officials must confront is whether or not we save money without losing the degree of service we experience now," O'Scanlon reiterated.

"We can get state money that will fund and help us get the answers, so I think it is a big step forward. In two or three years, either this process will be working or it won't. Either way, the grant money will be there."