By Davy James, Staff Writer
JAMESBURG — Candidates for Borough Council say that sharing services with other municipalities is an option most small towns will need to explore, but exploration must come with careful analysis of the risks and rewards.
Republican Brian Duke, Democrat Daria Ludas and Democratic incumbent and current council President Otto Kostbar are vying for two, three-year seats on the council.
Mr. Kostbar, 58, is an attorney who has served on the council for three and a half terms. He said the council has been examining shared services for years and continues to do so in order to save residents tax dollars and keep spending down.
”We currently have some shared services with storage of items and had shared police services with Helmetta,” Mr. Kostbar said. “Sharing services with other towns is not as easy as some people think because it has to be a win-win for both towns to get on board. One town has to receive better services and the other has to not be impacted fiscally.”
Mr. Kostbar said the council is always exploring the possibility of sharing when it comes to police, emergency services and public works, but there are many considerations that make such a situation difficult.
”We’ll continue to look at a number of options, but the situation is difficult when you consider who do you keep and who do you fire,” Mr. Kostbar said. “You have to consider who is in charge, who pays for unemployment and there’s a period of integration that takes time. One of the things about small town governments is that they’re run very efficiently because you don’t have the money to squander.
Mr. Kostbar said that merging services carries a risk of one town losing some of the benefits the residents had previously received.
”When you have your own police, they care about your town and citizens,” he said. “They have an emotional attachment, knowledge of how things work and what the problem areas are. Doing shared services causes the loss of institutional memory.”
Mr. Kostbar said most towns in the state will look to shared services in the future, as will Jamesburg, but only after careful consideration of all aspects of the merger.
”With the library we’re in a position to get improved services at a lesser cost and that’s a unique situation,” Mr. Kostbar said. “Improved services should never be overlooked, but you have to improve the quality of life in town too. If you have a decrease in services you would notice it and feel the pain. You have to look not only at saving money, but also maintaining quality of services.”
In the upcoming election, residents will vote whether to cut municipal funding for the Jamesburg Public Library in order to enter a shared services agreement with the Monroe Township Public Library.
Ms. Ludas, 59, is a third-grade teacher in Fords and served on the library board of trustees for eight years. She said she believes in the benefits of sharing services as long as the borough gains added benefits from the agreement.
”As long as the shared services keep Jamesburg’s taxes down and residents receive equal or enhanced services then I’m certainly all for it,” Ms. Ludas said. “I think the council has examined everything and are continuing to look and examine every possible area.”
Ms. Ludas said the library is an example of an agreement that offers improved services at a lower cost.
”Keeping taxes lower is our main goal,” Ms. Ludas said. “I don’t see any negatives with shared services. But the services have to improve and the library is one situation where we can improve the services for Jamesburg at a lower cost.”
With the current economic climate, Ms. Ludas said, towns throughout New Jersey will examine similar agreements.
”The way it looks now, that’s the direction the state is headed in,” Ms. Ludas said. “I think all small towns in New Jersey need to look at shared services.”
Mr. Duke, 36, is the national director of marketing for an engineering and consulting firm in Manalapan. He said great care needs to be taken when examining shared services to be certain of the impact on residents and the economy.
”Obviously, there are elements that need to be explored with the rising property taxes, but you need to use care when evaluating which areas make economic and societal sense,” Mr. Duke said. “These may not involve entire elements but functions that make sense to share with other municipalities. These aren’t simple concepts to investigate, evaluate and implement and every case has individual nuances [bwo: ??? : ]that are tied to each municipality.”
Mr. Duke said the library is an example of a shared service that would save money for the borough, but at the cost of a loss of convenience for residents.
”I’m all for finding ways to save money for the borough and yes, there are economic savings with the library agreement,” Mr. Duke said. “The savings breaks down to $5 per resident and I think the societal loss of a community learning center is greater than that. It’s in voter’s hands at this point. The Monroe library is a fine library, but I still think it’s a loss to the borough.”
Mr. Duke said that it’s necessary to weigh all aspects of each situation carefully while making sure the council makes the right decisions for the borough.
”The whole goal is to save taxpayer dollars and in some instances improve service level,” Mr. Duke said. “But the identity of the borough can become diluted. You need to look at all of the pros and cons and understand what residents are looking for in their borough.”

