By Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writer
Paying for state police coverage will no longer be a burden on small-town taxpayers’ shoulders, now that the state Council on Local Mandates has voided the state’s proposal to make rural towns ante up for coverage.
According to the council Web site, a public hearing on the case was held Oct. 22 in Trenton, and was attended by numerous representatives from municipalities all over the state.
Complaints were filed by a number of towns in New Jersey in July, arguing that having rural towns pay for coverage is an unfunded mandate.
The council has the right to decide whether a state law or regulation imposes an unconstitutional or unfunded mandate. Decisions made by the council are final, and no cases can be appealed.
Locally, police departments in Fieldsboro, Chesterfield, New Hanover, North Hanover and Springfield had received coverage from the state police due to their small size and would have had to pay for part-time state police coverage under the original proposal.
Chesterfield Mayor Larry Durr had said earlier this year that the township had seen “the writing on the wall,” prompting the department tobecome self-sufficient this year.
Chesterfield was the first township in Burlington County to cut ties with state police coverage since the fee was proposed, while Mansfield had axed ties with state coverage in 2007.
After finding out that the Council on Local Mandates had made the fees null and void, Mayor Durr said Tuesday that he was still glad that the township took the steps to be independent.
“I am a little disappointed with the state that this decision came so late in the year,” he said, but added that he felt the township was, “better off for it.”
“Having additional training certainly won’t hurt anything,” he added, “Plus it’s comforting to know that if we do need their assistance, we can still depend on them being there.”
Fieldsboro, which has a police force consisting of four officers, would have had to pay approximately $13,800 to the state if the mandate went through.
Mayor Buddy Tyler’s concern now, is where the state might ask for more money.
“I’m just wondering where those individuals (in Trenton) are going to look to get more money,” he said.
“I’m still trying to find out where that formula was they used to come up with that amount,” he added.

