BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — Township Committeeman Andrew Lucas believes the best way to approach the question of whether Manalapan and Englishtown should consolidate police services is to conduct a feasibility study.
Lucas brought the issue to the attention of the Township Committee at its June 8 meeting.
“There were some questions directed at me regarding our [recent] meeting with Englishtown regarding a possible police consolidation. A lot of the fact-finding at that time was not completed. This evening I want to take one more step with that,” he said.
Lucas said he believes the best way to approach the issue is to authorize a feasibility study and noted there is a grant which would help to pay for the study.
Committeeman Drew Shapiro asked Lucas for more information.
“Are you asking about the court system in Englishtown or are you talking about just the police?” Shapiro asked. “All I heard about was the police. Have you discussed taking over their court system as well?”
Lucas said the feasibility study would go into the elements of the courts, the police and public works. He said the study would examine the benefits for Manalapan and Englishtown.
“Something like this, as we discussed at the last meeting, has the potential to save both towns hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Lucas said. “It has the potential to increase the amount of cops we would have. It would give Englishtown the ability to have a DARE program, a traffic program, a traffic department and detectives.”
Lucas said the Manalapan officials should look at the potential benefits that could come out of this type of arrangement.
Shapiro asked if the proposal was going to be about more than just the police.
“Personally, would I want our police to write tickets and the revenue to go to Englishtown, because it’s going through their court,” said Shapiro. “Originally, I just heard police and [now] you’re saying you want to look into the other services.”
Lucas said he believes the courts should be included in the feasibility study.
Committeeman Joseph Locricchio said he was certain there were many questions to be addressed.
Committeewoman Rebecca Aaronson asked Lucas if he had gone back to Englishtown with the idea of a feasibility study.
Lucas said he had only attended one meeting.
“The other town did initiate the talks,” he said.
“What if the other town is not interested?” Aaronson asked.
“They were the ones that came to us asking if this would be a possibility,” Lucas said.
Mayor Bill Scherer said he wanted
to know if taxes would pay for the
feasibility study or if the grant would come first.
“Second, does Manalapan need six more cops?” Scherer asked. “The shared services will relieve the burden on Englishtown.
Where’s our benefit? If the feasibility study is going to talk about the courts, the public works, what’s left?”
Scherer said Englishtown and Manalapan already share public schools and a first aid squad.
The two towns also share a municipal alliance which seeks to educate the public about the consequences of drug abuse and alcohol abuse.
“Why not take it a step further and merge the two towns and save even more for Englishtown?” Scherer said. “Then they don’t need an attorney. They don’t need auditors, They don’t need everything that’s involved in [running] a municipality.”
Locricchio said, “Their tax rate is out of control and we’re looking into the possibility of shared services. If it benefits the taxpayers from our town and their town it may be a good idea. We have nothing to lose and we’re not spending a dime of the taxpayers money.”
The committee heard from Police Chief Ted Ehrenburg of Washington Township, who operates Blue Shield Consulting, Long Valley. Ehrenburg said all communities are trying to get more bang for their buck. Senior citizens are hit most when the tax rate goes up, he said.
“They do not have children in the school system and are basically getting the double hit,” Ehrenburg said. “Shared services, I believe, is what is going to change all these things in the future.”
Ehrenburg said all communities, regardless of size, have the same responsibility to provide the same level of service to the community. A smaller police department would have limited resources for training, staffing and supervision. Manalapan obviously does not face those issues, Ehrenburg said.
Shapiro asked which police chief would be in charge if the Englishtown and Manalapan police departments were merged. He was told that a test would be taken by both chiefs and one person would be the chief and the other would be second in command or deputy chief.
“You cannot alter the person’s pay,” Ehrenburg said.
Scherer asked if the New Jersey State Police can step in and was told by Ehrenburg that the cost for the state police can be higher in some cases than a municipal police department.
The state police provide coverage to some New Jersey municipalities that do not have their own police force. Four Monmouth County towns in which that is the case are Farmingdale, Millstone Township, Roosevelt and Upper Freehold Township.
“Once you’re an established police department, you can’t just walk in and say no more police department,” said Ehrenburg.
Aaronson asked what would happen if Englishtown and Manalapan officials are interested in pursuing the issue.
Ehrenburg said he would conduct a study and produce a report listing the options available to both towns and his recommendations.
Locricchio said Manalapan’s representatives have to determine if Englishtown officials are interested, then find out about the grant, whether the police chiefs are interested, and whether Englishtown is willing to split some of the cost.
“If it is proven to be financially positive and you can get more coverage and there are more police, [and] if it doesn’t cost anything, let’s look into it,” Locricchio said.
Scherer said the committee members should think about it and they will discuss the topic at the next meeting.
“May I suggest, at the same time we should call the mayor of Englishtown and find out if this is something that may be of interest,” Aaronson said.