Seven-member panel could seek out grants for the township
By:Roger Alvarado
Committeeman Paul Drake says Hillsborough would save a lot of money by creating a Grants and Shared Services Advisory Commission to secure federal, state and county grants for township projects.
During Tuesday’s committee meeting Mr. Drake, the committee’s finance chair, proposed the idea of a seven-member volunteer body made of five residents, a committee member and a member of one of the township’s appointed commissions, to oversee the process of locating grant money for the township.
"Many people realize that there are many opportunities through state grants and that a variety of money circulating is often available through municipal grants," Mr. Drake said. "The issue is locating them."
Mr. Drake went on to say that by securing grants, municipalities can often find ways to pay for things without having to spend local taxpayer money.
However, because of the complexities involved with the application process as well as the process of finding available grants it’s not always an easy or successful process, he said.
"What I’d like to do is propose the creation of a shared services commission," he said. "It would be a group that would report to the Township Committee."
The commission would be responsible for identifying grant sources and coordinating applications with the respective township department heads, Mr. Drake said.
In addition, it would look to find ways to share services between the county, the Board of Education, fire departments and other towns in an effort to reduce costs.
"We want to try to apply for as many grants as possible," he said.
Mr. Drake’s remarks were immediately embraced by the other committee members.
"There are a lot of grants we can go after," Committeeman Anthony Ferrera said. "This is a committee that should have been created a while ago."
Following the brief discussion, Mayor Wagner instructed Township Attorney Albert Cruz to draft an ordinance that would call for the creation of the commission for introduction during an upcoming committee meeting.

