Towns may seek help for cop consolidation

Local leaders suggest grant, study

By: Vic Monaco
   EAST WINDSOR — A local committee looking at the possible consolidation of the Hightstown Police Department with East Windsor’s force will recommend that the two communities seek a state grant and solicit proposals from companies that review such a move.
   That was the word Thursday afternoon from East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov after she met Tuesday for a third time with Hightstown Mayor Bob Patten to discuss the issue along with Borough Councilman Walter Sikorski and Township Councilman Marc Lippman.
   The mayor said the councils of both towns would have to submit the grant application to the state Department of Community Affairs but one governing body could handle the soliciting of proposals from interested companies.
   "It’s a step that seems inevitable," she said of the RFP (request for proposals) process.
   That process would have to include a proposed budget, how the study would be funded, the methodology to be used and a time frame, she continued. It is too early to say how much the RFP process would cost or which town or if both would fund it, she said, because the idea is only a suggestion at this point.
   Once the process begins, she said, "I can’t imagine more than a 30-day return (being sought from interested parties)."
   Mayor Mironov said Tuesday’s session lasted about 45 minutes and was the most in-depth to date. Township officials, she said, compiled much material for the meeting including information on the DCA grant program, companies that study police consolidation, relative state statutes and the experiences of other communities in police consolidation including their interlocal agreements.
   "That material is going to be shared with Hightstown officials so they can have opportunity to view it as well," Mayor Mironov said.
   Borough Council voted in March to require him to investigate police regionalization. It did so after looking at a then-proposed budget that includes $1.5 million for police-related expenditures.
   The four leaders met once in April and a second time in September. Mayor Mironov said last month that the leaders were looking at possibly getting help from three organizations – the state Department of Community Affairs, the New Jersey League of Municipalities and the Rutgers School of Public Administration.
   Mayor Patten said late Thursday afternoon that this week’s meeting was a "good brainstorming get-together."
   Both mayors said Thursday that the two towns also will look closely at what emerges from the Joint Legislative Committee on Government Consolidation and Shared Services, which is expected to release a report next month.