BY LIZ SHEEHAN
Correspondent
SEA BRIGHT – The borough and its neighboring town, Monmouth Beach, are planning to work together on a study of joining their police departments.
At the Borough Council meeting last week, Mayor Jo-Ann Kalaka-Adams said that the idea would be looked into as part of an effort to share services between municipalities.
She said the idea of shared police with Monmouth Beach sounded plausible because the two “were pretty much the same size,” both are located between the ocean and the river and have an influx of people in the summer.
The towns “mirror each other,” Kalaka-Adams said.
Monmouth Beach Mayor Susan Howard said Thursday that the state has made grant monies available that allow municipalities to study shared services.
She said Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach would join together “to investigate the feasibility of joining our forces.”
Howard said that she had attended a presentation at a meeting of the Two River Council of Mayors given by Kenneth Pringle, mayor of Belmar, concerning his town’s exploration of joining together with neighboring towns’ police departments.
She also said that Fair Haven, Rumson and Little Silver were also studying the idea of merging police departments.
At the Sea Bright meeting, Kalaka-Adams also said concerning shared services that she had spoken with Monmouth Beach about Sea Bright using a salt storage dome that would be constructed in Monmouth Beach.
In addition, Kalaka-Adams said it looked like Long Branch would be purchasing a storm water drain vacuum that could be used by the borough and Monmouth Beach.