Still no talks, 18 months after Princeton’s dispatching consolidation study

Township officials show a lack of enthusiasm

By: Courtney Gross
   Nearly a year and a half after its release, the governing bodies of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township have still not gathered to discuss a study recommending the consolidation of the two municipalities’ emergency dispatching services — a dialogue that had been slated for late 2005.
   As talks of consolidation of services and budget deficits related to cutting real estate taxes stall in Trenton, the same discussions have not topped Princeton’s agenda. The local study, which suggests taxpayers could save in excess of $2.6 million over five years in personnel costs alone if dispatching services were combined, has never been discussed beyond the administrative or mayoral level, Princeton officials said.
   Conducted by Carroll Buracker & Associates of Virginia, the study cost the borough and the township nearly $70,000 — and another $20,000 through a state grant — and was released in June of 2005.
   The month following the release of the public safety analysis, municipal officials said the governing bodies would convene for a joint meeting — a discussion which 18 months later hasn’t occurred, officials said.
   Since then, many borough officials have called for discussions and consolidation several times, while township officials have been less apt to support the recommendations outwardly.
   Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand said there was no explicit reason why the governing bodies did not convene a meeting to discuss the study. The mayor said she would be happy to meet with borough officials to discuss joint dispatching services.
   "Sometimes the joint meetings we have are done with something that is very immediate," Mayor Marchand said. "Maybe it’s not the highest priority, at least in the township."
   The study outlined a number of benefits to consolidated dispatching services, including improved information exchange, reduced overtime pay, increased staff availability and the better overall delivery of qualitative public safety.
   Because Township Hall is a newer building, the study suggests using the Witherspoon Street facility for a joint dispatching center — a recommendation also supported by Mayor Marchand and Acting Township Police Chief Mark Emann.
   To ensure the joint facility is successful, the report recommends continued staffing of the borough dispatching center for two years and the installation of an emergency phone outside Borough Hall to contact the dispatching headquarters in the township.
   Based on discussions with members of the township police department, acting Chief Emann said his department would not be detrimentally affected by the consolidation of dispatching services.
   But the consolidation of entire departments is another story, he added.
   The public safety consultants pointed to increased savings and efficiency if both police departments were consolidated completely.
   According to the analysis, "If the two municipalities split the costs 50/50, millions of dollars could be avoided in the future and each municipality could have tailored police services."
   Calling the complete consolidation of police departments "inevitable," acting Chief Emann said he favored full municipal consolidation over the combination of just the police departments.
   A major concern of combined departments, he added, is the possibility of decreased service in the outskirts of the township while the borough’s central business district is attended to more fully.
   Although the consolidation of departments was not the focus of the dispatching report, it still has surfaced and resurfaced in public dialogue. In January, the Borough Council called for a discussion between the two governing bodies to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of consolidating entire departments.
   But just like the dispatch study, that dialogue never occurred.
   Speaking for himself, Princeton Township Deputy Mayor Bernie Miller said, he would be open to reviewing the dispatching study — a report that could be discussed further in the new year.
   "We should explore anything that could possibly save taxpayers money," Mr. Miller said.
   Several borough officials noted they would support a joint meeting to discuss the dispatching report.
   The results and recommendations within the study, borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said, argue in favor of the two municipalities discussing the distribution of emergency services.
   Borough Councilman Andrew Koontz said the discussion should begin with dispatching services and then gradually exploring the consolidation of the two police departments as a whole.
   "Both municipalities invested money in (the) study," Mr. Koontz said. "We owe it to the taxpayers to follow up on that kind of investment, … So far we haven’t done that."
   Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman agreed. Council members, the mayor said, are eager to discuss the study with the township to determine if emergency dispatching services should be combined.
   Even if the governing bodies decide not to pursue such a consolidation, the mayor added, they at least owe the public a discussion.
   Due to vacation, Borough Police Chief Anthony Federico could not be reached for comment.