By Jessica Ercolino, Staff Writer
Officials in Upper Freehold and Millstone are looking for more information regarding the state’s decision to charge the municipalities for state police usage, and will send representatives to tonight’s (Thursday’s) League of Municipalities meeting on the issue.
Municipalities have until Dec. 15 to decide whether they want to pay for state police patrols or explore alternatives such as consolidation or creating their own force. If arrangements are not made by the deadline, the townships will be automatically entered into a cost-sharing agreement with the state Department of Treasury.
In 2007, it cost the state $80 million to provide police services to 89 municipalities that have been receiving state police patrol services for free, according to the state Treasury. The department calculated a total local share of $12.5 million, which will result in an increase of no more than $100 in property taxes for the average residential property.
According to the department’s Web site, Upper Freehold is expected to pay $254,065, which would raise the local tax rate about 1.88 cents, said Chief Financial Officer Dianne Kelly.
”That is not insignificant,” she said. “We’re all trying to save money and budget time is painful. A bill like this — a near 2-cent increase — it knocks you off your chair.”
Millstone Township is expected to pay $348,152 for state police coverage, according to the Department of Treasury Web site. Mayor Nancy Grbelja said the bill could raise the township’s local tax rate by almost 3.5 cents.
”This is just one other item that the state is placing on the municipalities,” she said. “When you couple the cost of state police with the reduction of municipal aid, the fact that Millstone does not receive a lot in school aid and their moving other programs back on the town to bear the costs, it creates an overwhelming tax burden for my municipality.”
Last week, Upper Freehold sent a letter to the Treasury Department seeking more information on the township’s fiscal standing.
”New Jersey has never been higher than 48 on return of federal money. We’re asking where Upper Freehold sits status-wise in return of our money statewide,” said Township Administrator Barbara Bascom. “The state makes plenty of money off of Upper Freehold. We are not a drain on state money or services, so giving us state police is the least of what they can do.”
Mayor Steve Alexander said that some divisions of the state police such as organized crime or gang investigation may not even be used in the township.
”I’d be very surprised if those dedicated resources are being used in Upper Freehold,” he said. “I bet you find state police organized crime units in Atlantic City, perhaps. Maybe Newark? Trenton? Call me crazy, but there might be some organized crime there.”
The mayor said the situation is frustrating because not only was the state police created to patrol rural towns, but the state did not attempt to work with municipalities to create a three-to-five year plan for regional or local law enforcement in the towns currently using state police patrols.
”You don’t just snap your fingers and have a police force or snap your fingers and come up with $254,000 in a small, rural town,” he said.
If towns push to get their own law enforcement, then the state should consider cutting jobs to make up the $80 million shortfall so municipalities don’t get hit with a “double whammy,” Mayor Alexander said.
Upper Freehold last week sent a copy of its letter to Millstone Township for review.
”We said we would support (Upper Freehold) and follow suit with what they’re requesting,” said Mayor Grbelja. “We would like to see a sheet that indicates how much time state police are spending within the municipality. So far they have been reluctant to release that information to us.”
Both townships are planning to send officials to tonight’s (Thursday’s) League of Municipalities meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The College of New Jersey, in Ewing. League officials will discuss their efforts to fight property tax increases and state legislators will explain their efforts to earmark nonproperty tax revenues for state police.

