JAMESBURG: Borough takes back cell phones

By David Kilby, Staff Writer
   JAMESBURG — As the borough looks at every possible way to keep taxes down, some people have questioned the Borough Council’s decision to take away 20 of 23 borough employee cell phones.
   Mayor Tony LaMantia is upset the cell phones have been taken away because the borough now has no way to communicate with the road crew, he said.
   ”It’s hindering the efficiency of the borough,” the mayor said. “We have no communication with our road services department at all; we have limited communication with the Police Department.”
   The cell phones came to Jamesburg by way of a contract with the Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty.
   About 10 years ago, the SPCA asked the Jamesburg Police Department to take all animal abuse calls in Middlesex County, then forward them to the SPCA. The department agreed to do so in exchange for three free cell phones.
   ”Over the decade this contract has been in effect, more and more cell phones were requested,” by borough employees and were provided by the SPCA, but taxpayers had to pay the $40 monthly bill for each of the extra phones, said Otto Kostbar, council president.
   The borough subsequently wound up with 23 cell phones, 20 of which were paid for by tax dollars.
   Every police officer, the zoning officer and three Public Works workers had an employee cell phone.
   A few weeks ago, when the council looked into the usage of the cell phones , they found 12 of them weren’t being used.
   ”It didn’t seem to be efficient,” Mr. Kostbar said. “The phones were being used for personal calls. That was one of the problems.”
   Borough employees were allowed to use the cell phones for personal calls, Mr. Kostbar said.
   ”Nobody said they couldn’t, but Jamesburg taxpayers should not be paying for personal business,” he said. “When we asked how much borough business they needed the phones for, we noticed they really didn’t use them for much.”
   The borough now only has the original three cell phones provided by the original contract, and they’re used by the Police Department.
   ”At this point, any cell phones being used must be used for borough business,” Mr. Kostbar said.
   In addition, the council recently purchased a $42,000 radio system.
   ”We believe it (the radio system) will better serve our needs,” Councilwoman Barbara Carpenter said.
   ”It’s absurd that Jamesburg taxpayers have been paying for personal phone calls,” she added. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
   She also said the council is looking into buying walkie-talkies for the Public Works Department, which she believes will be efficient for the 1-square-mile borough.
   Members of the public have argued in past meetings the cell phones provide a much-needed service to the borough.
   They also argued the amount saved by getting rid of the cell phones is miniscule. The phones were costing taxpayers $40 a month each for a total of a little under $10,000 per year.
   ”There are two things that I expect my town to provide for my children: a good education and safety,” said Sandy Sussman, of Buckelew Avenue, at a council meeting, adding he didn’t appreciate the cell phones being taken away since he believed it jeopardizes the safety of residents.