FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The Township Committee in Freehold Township has renewed a shared services agreement that involves eight police departments in western Monmouth County and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
Freehold Township will continue to serve as the lead agency and provider in the agreement.
On May 26, committee members authorized the renewal of the agreement for the Western Monmouth Active Shooter Training Group.
The participants are the Allentown, Colts Neck, Englishtown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro police departments, and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
A resolution passed by the governing body states that the agreement is beneficial to the municipalities involved by allowing interagency standardization of active shooter response protocols and by facilitating a rapid response and coordination in the event that officers from multiple agencies may be the first responders in neighboring communities for these types of incidents.
This will be the third year the training group will be in effect in the eight municipalities. The initial agreement was authorized in 2018 with Freehold Township serving as the lead agency and provider.
In other business, municipal officials are planning to appropriate $1.7 million to be used for capital improvements.
Committee members have introduced a bond ordinance that will authorize the improvements. A public hearing on the bond ordinance is scheduled for June 23 and the governing body may adopt the ordinance that evening.
Officials said $906,000 would be appropriated for improvements to the municipal water system and $800,000 would be appropriated for improvements to the municipal sewer system. All of the costs would be financed through bonds or notes.
And, committee members authorized the execution of an agreement with Monmouth County for cooperative participation in the Community Development Program for 2021-23. Through the agreement, Freehold Township will receive federal funds the county is eligible to receive under the Community Development Block Grant program.
Finally, committee members awarded two $27,822 contracts to iPlay America, Schanck Road, for indoor theme park packages for parks and recreation programs, one in 2020 and one in 2021.
According to a resolution, iPlay America will receive $15,093 for summer camp trips, $2,229 for meals for counselors-in-training and counselors, and $10,500 for pay-as-you-go cards for each year of the services provided.