By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
The Borough Council is scheduled to discuss Monday its possible participation in a fast-dissolving proposal to join a proposed countywide police force.
Mayor Angelo Corradino said he appointed a fact-finding council committee of Chairwoman Sherry Lynn, Ed Komorowski and Steve Szabo at the last meeting and asked it to report at a special meeting July 30.
”My concerns remain the same as they were when the report first came out,” he said. “I do not like the idea of no police presence in our town. The other concern is we are in the wrong district. We should be in the central district with Somerville, Bound Brook, Raritan and the other towns with the same demographics as ours.
He added, “I have always been a proponent of police consolidation, but not at the expense of the welfare or safety of our community.”
Manville could have expected to save $2.4 million over 10 years if it joined a proposed regional police department, said the report of a task force chaired by Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano.
The report suggested Manville could align with Hillsborough, Montgomery, Millstone and Rocky Hill to comprise one of five county precincts.
The report said Hillsborough might be the best place to locate that precinct’s headquarters. The report also suggested Manville’s police building could be kept open and used primarily as a detective bureau.
On Tuesday, Hillsborough said it wouldn’t go further in considering the idea. On July 18, Montgomery Township said no, too.
Municipalities were asked to respond by Aug. 1.
Only a few had, Freeholder Mark Caliguire said this week, and few perhaps just one said they would participate further.
Still, he said many people have called the study well done and a “great tool” and “road map” to future discussion. With pressures on government budgets and the weak economy in general, there is an inherent pressure building toward consolidation of services, he said.
Hillsborough Mayor Carl Suraci said Tuesday night that he had planned to convene a township public forum, but, at this point, conceded there wasn’t going to be a countywide force. Possibly some lesser combinations of consolidation could happen, he said, but a smaller regional force would require a completely new study of costs and logistics.
”It is disappointing that so many towns declined it. The best thing we can do now is try to do something regional, if that is possible,” Committeeman Doug Tomson said.
In total, the report projected the 21 county municipalities could save nearly $44 million over 10 years.
Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, a Hillsborough resident, said at the release of the report in April that figure would be a low estimate, with $70 million as a middle ground and $100 million as optimistic.
The figure stands in contrast to the $17.8 million a year savings a consultant estimated in December 2010.
The assemblyman said then that he thought it would be wrong to look at quantitative figures only and ignore the qualitative side of improved service. Mr. Ciattarelli, who was a freeholder when the study was initiated, was tapped to head an overall financial subcommittee in November.
The final report differs from a preliminary one by consultant Thomas Banker, who suggested the county could be broken down into three precincts. The consultant also thought the number of sworn officers could be reduced to 541 from the 627 he counted in 2010; the final report says 606 is a better estimate.
The report says no layoffs would occur, and reductions in force would occur through attrition, estimated at 3 to 4 percent a year. Existing PBA contracts would be honored.
The final report held to Mr. Banker’s suggestion to have civilians perform jobs that don’t require sworn officers, whenever possible.
A legal form of governance called a joint meeting would be formed between participating members, who would have to join for at least 10 years.

