By: Linda Seida – Staff Writer
The idea of merging the Lambertville and West Amwell police departments has died.
The West Amwell Township Committee put the final nail in that coffin with a letter to Lambertville, saying merger discussions are finished and the township does not want to pursue the matter.
West Amwell "closed the door on further dialogue," Lambertville Councilman Ward Sanders said Monday.
West Amwell cited the lack of any significant savings for the township as well as the "reduction of control" it would experience, Mr. Sanders said.
The township’s decision to bow out is "disappointing" and "a little bit of a shock to us," Mr. Sanders said, because discussions had been going well, and both sides had acknowledged a possible future savings and other benefits that would come from a merger. "We were very encouraged," he said.
West Amwell Mayor Thomas Molnar disagreed with the suggestion of any savings. "The recent police study that was presented to both municipalities seemed to favor a merger with Lambertville, but there was no dramatic savings to West Amwell Township," he said in an e-mail interview.
The township’s decision to withdraw could affect the future of a mutual aid agreement with Lambertville, city officials said. The mutual aid agreement "is a two-way street," Lambertville Police Director Bruce Cocuzza said.
If West Amwell were to look to the state police for night coverage, "it puts the mutual aid concept on different footing," Mayor David Del Vecchio said.
"We currently do not rely on the state police for coverage. We cover all three shifts in-house. I was not aware of a mutual aid problem," Mayor Molnar said.
In 2008, Lambertville received a grant to pay for a feasibility study. In 2009, a final report generated by the study was "bullish on the idea of a merger," Mr. Sanders said. It said advantages would include an eventual monetary savings for taxpayers plus more training opportunities for advancement for the officers.
But short term, there would "probably be plus or minus a couple thousand dollars," the head of Hunterdon County Shared Services said when the report was released. "A savings definitely is more than likely longer term because it would control future costs."
West Amwell residents told their officials they do not want to merge their police department with neighboring Lambertville.
They "filled the township building, indicating to the committee that they did not want to merge with Lambertville," Mayor Molnar said. "The Township Committee listened to the residents and ‘let the people decide.’ The residents indicated they would rather see an increase in their taxes than merge with Lambertville. The residents were afraid that a merger with Lambertville would eventually cost the West Amwell residents more in their taxes. The residents also expressed the fact that Lambertville and West Amwell are two distinct municipalities and require two distinct types of forces. Lambertville is currently a proactive force, as the West Amwell force is reactive"
When talks between the two communities began, the possible merger was seen as a way to share services when both municipalities faced significant cuts in state aid. Typically, a police department is a municipality’s largest expense. But now, some of West Amwell’s expense may be cut as a few senior officers face retirement.
When the study began, East Amwell Township was included. Unlike Lambertville and West Amwell, East Amwell does not have its own police force. The state police provide coverage. At the time, the state threatened to charge towns like East Amwell for the service, but nothing came of it and East Amwell bowed out of merger talks.
Lambertville and West Amwell each appointed a three-member committee to handle the discussions. Committee members tried to figure out answers to questions that the study did not address, such as cost allocation and how a merged force would be governed.
Lambertville Mayor Del Vecchio said one option would have been to appoint a three-member board to govern the combined force. The board majority – Lambertville or West Amwell – would flip yearly.
"I have met personally with our current police force members and after these meetings I feel comfortable with the decisions that were made," Mayor Molnar said.
He thanked members of the special three-member committee – Hal Shute, Rob Tomenchok and Hopewell Township police Officer Kevin Koveloski (who is a local resident), as well as Committeeman George Fisher, liaison to the Township Committee, "for their time and efforts in this study."
Mayor Del Vecchio also expressed thanks for the efforts of Lambertville’s committee -Daniel Marley (retired state trooper), Brian Trelstad and Mr. Sanders.
