on efficiency of county gov’t.
Freeholders react to idea
of state panel taking
a look at their operations
By dick metzgar
Staff Writer
Contrary to popular belief, state Sen. Thomas J. Kean Jr. (R-Union) said he is not proposing that county government in New Jersey be eliminated.
Kean is the main force behind a bill that has been introduced in the state Assembly and state Senate that would create a commission to study the effectiveness of county government, the oldest form of government in the country.
The end result of the proposal — which was introduced by Kean in 2002 — could be the streamlining of government at all levels in New Jersey, the legislator said.
"We want to determine what county government does well and what it may not do well," Kean told Greater Media Newspapers in an interview this week. "We started with county government because it is in the middle, above municipal government and below state government. The situation can be different in different parts of the state. What may be good or bad for a county in North Jersey, might not be true of a county in South Jersey."
Kean’s bill (S-167/A-905) would establish a board to be known as the Effectiveness of County Government Study Commission.
The commission would be provided with $95,000 in state funding to review the effectiveness of county government and determine how it is performing the functions currently required by law.
If created, the commission would hold at least three public hearings and elicit participation from the general public as well as from experts on state, county and municipal government.
The commission’s mission would be to review the laws and regulations governing the functions of and services provided by county government to the people of the state, and to make recommendations as to whether those functions are currently being performed in the most effective and economical way.
The commission would also determine whether those functions and services could be performed more efficiently and effectively by state or municipal government and, if so, recommend to the governor and Legislature a plan for the reassignment of those functions and services that it deems could be better provided by state or municipal government.
Kean pointed out that county budgets have been increasing by leaps and bounds — Monmouth County’s 2003 budget is $392 million and Ocean County’s is $274 million — and that property taxes in the state are much too much of a burden on taxpayers.
"If we could find a way to cut down the size of government at all levels and streamline their operations, we might be able to give the people the tax relief they need and deserve," Kean said. "We should also study the effectiveness of municipal and state government."The first reaction by some county freeholders — the elected officials who direct the operation of county government — to the proposed bill when newspaper stories and editorials suggested that it was an effort to eliminate county government, was one of anger.
They have since softened their stand when it was pointed out that Kean is not advocating the elimination of county government.
Freeholders have always been very protective of their form of government, saying they have a more direct link to municipalities and their people than state government. The freeholders say county government provides valuable services and functions that could not be provided by either municipal or state government.
The freeholders say they are not only the buffer between municipal and state governments, but a buffer between local government and the federal government.
"I’m not against the study," said Monmouth County Freeholder Director Harry Larrison Jr. "As a matter of fact, the study might reveal a number of things that county government does that people don’t know about. Nothing was ever so good that it couldn’t be better. Nobody can replace the county in many of its functions — for example, roads, library, parks and the preservation of local open space."
Veteran Monmouth County Freeholder Ted Narozanick agreed.
"It is very hard to visualize getting along without county government," said Narozanick, who is a former county administrator. "It does so many things that other governments could not possibly replace. However, we would welcome the study. There is always room for expansion and improvement."
Ocean County Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr. was one of those who reacted angrily when he first head about Kean’s proposed bill. He has since softened his approach to the proposed legislation, but still is adamant that county government cannot be replaced.
"People can get through to county government when they can’t get through to state government," Bartlett said. "County government is much closer to the people. This is the level of government that really gets things done. We build roads, run library systems and community colleges, along with many, many other things. However, I think some good can come out of the study."
Jane Brady, a Middlesex County freeholder who is the president of the New Jersey Association of Counties, said a study of the effectiveness of government could save taxpayers a lot of money but the study proposed by Kean does not go far enough.
"Where the senator misses the mark is in his effort to single out county government," Brady said. "To truly understand which level of government in New Jersey is operating most efficiently and effectively one has to study government at the municipal, county and state levels. A study examining only one level of government would lead to misconceptions and ignore the interaction inherent within New Jersey’s governmental structure. Sen. Kean’s proposed study would miss an opportunity to truly implement meaningful reform."
Kean, who is the son of former governor Thomas H. Kean, said the bill is now at the committee stage being discussed. Meanwhile, Kean said, he is meeting with freeholders statewide to discuss the proposed legislation. He has meetings scheduled with Larrison and Bartlett later this month.