The Arnone Report: Monmouth County leads the way in Shared Services and Generous Hearts

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Well, it seems as if fall is now officially here! After a hot summer season, these cooler temperatures are a nice relief! I hope everyone is enjoying the season and picking the perfect pumpkins. I have been staying busy and I would like to take some time to share what I have been up to around Monmouth County.

Last Friday, we hosted our annual Shared Services Summit at the Monmouth County Fire Academy. We had a fantastic turnout, with nearly 80 people attending and representing more than 35 municipalities, school districts, fire districts, police departments and other entities throughout the county. Those who attended were able to learn more about shared services available to them through our Clerk’s office, tax board, Sheriff’s office, purchasing department, department of public works, IT department and the fire academy.

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The Arnone Report: Grown In Monmouth Launch, Shared Services Summit, Summer Kickoff

By Freeholder Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

It has been an eventful few weeks here in Monmouth County. From officially launching a countywide brand to hosting a shared services summit, we certainly have been keeping busy.

I’m proud to announce that after years of hard work, determination and great coordination, we officially launched the Grown in Monmouth brand and logo during a recent event with Saker ShopRites and Davino Greenhouses in Howell.

The mission of the Grown in Monmouth brand is to help retain and grow our County’s vibrant agricultural industry, while showcasing locally grown produce and vegetation. Through this initiative, we will work to connect County growers with residential and commercial consumers, as well as provide business skills and assistance to the County’s agricultural community, among other goals.

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Shared Patrol Model: The sweet spot for reducing property taxes and saving police officers jobs

By Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

The concept of municipal consolidation/shared services is referred to by some as the panacea for high property taxes.  Others claim that consolidation/shared services is a pipe dream and not worth pursuing because no single service will solve our property tax problem.  Both sides of this argument are wrong.  No one act or reform will slash our taxes – short of major increases in other taxes.  To argue that we shouldn’t pursue such reforms because they won’t save “enough” is to argue against doing anything to cut costs.  On the contrary, the answer is we must do EVERYTHING.

Merging of municipalities is a heavy lift. People have nostalgic attachments to their town names and pride in their community identity. And if things don’t go as well as planned, there’s no going back.  That leaves shared services  as the sweet spot – much easier to attain than wholesale municipal mergers and can generate 60 to 80% of the savings.

We must then hone in on the areas where we can get the greatest amount of savings.  Things like public works and administration sound like good targets but those areas have already, frequently, been cut to the bone.  One area in many municipalities that is ripe for restructuring: police.

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Monmouth County enters 10 year agreement with Middlesex for Medical Examiners Services

Freeholders in Monmouth and Middlesex counties have entered into a 10 year agreement that has the Middlesex Medical Examiner’s Office performing autopsies for unexplained natural deaths and violent deaths that occur in Monmouth County. The office also preserves evidence, analyzes physical evidence and provides expert testimony in courts of law.

The agreement announced today extends a shared services partnership between the counties that was first instituted in 2009.

Monmouth County taxpayers will save $1 million over the term of the agreement which is part of the Freeholders’ ongoing effort to streamline costs and share services.  Middlesex County taxpayers will see a $1.4 million per year benefit as a result of the agreement.

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The Arnone Report: Shared Services Are Keeping Monmouth County Safe And Affordable

By Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas A. Arone

Freeholder Tom Arone

Baby…it’s cold outside! We’ve experienced near record lows this year. With these freezing cold temperatures comes additional problems besides just trying to stay warm – the low temperatures in combination with precipitation and other weather conditions causes havoc on our roads. The County Public Works Department has been very busy the past few months, ensuring that county roads are safe to travel on by pre-treating and plowing on a consistent schedule and staying ahead of the accumulation. By pre-treating our roads, the snow and ice begin to melt as soon they hit the asphalt and also makes plowing easier and much more efficient.

In addition to keeping the County roads safe, our Public Works Department has been helping municipalities throughout our county as well through our County Shared Services program.  We have recorded cost savings across several municipalities by providing plowing services as well as access to the pre-treatment solution. There are many outstanding projects currently in the upstart stages in the Shared Services arena.

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MID-YEAR PROGRESS UPDATE – MONMOUTH COUNTY NEW SHARED SERVICES INITIATIVES

Freeholder Director Tom Arone

By Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone

Monmouth County continues to grow in its leadership role in the field of shared services. We have been successful in streamlining operations and centralized administration in an effort to reduce the burden on Monmouth County taxpayers.

            To demonstrate our dedication to this effort, we created a central office of shared services to centralize and standardize programs, increase efficiencies in administration and improve business processes. These efforts have played a strong role in eliminating redundancy and waste throughout the public sector allowing for the most beneficial and efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

            We have successfully built new partnerships with 53 municipalities and several counties throughout the state resulting in one of the most far reaching and highly developed shared services programs in the nation culminating in over 300 shared services agreements, millions in estimated savings to taxpayers and over $10.1 Million in new recurring revenue streams thus far. We now are expanding our shared services partnerships with many school boards as well. Monmouth County citizens can see three areas of savings and increased efficiencies; at the municipal, county and now at the school board level.

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Grow Monmouth, Tourism, Shared Services

By Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arone

• ·         As a way of continuing to encourage businesses to come to Monmouth County, my team and I are conducting ongoing Grow Monmouth presentations around the County.  In the past two weeks, we have completed presentations in Aberdeen and Bradley Beach.  Additionally, we are continuing work on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.  This week we have had roundtable discussions on topics that were suggested by the public during prior meetings. We have begun sending welcome letters to all new businesses registered within the county.  In less than a month, we have sent just over 90 letters offering assistance through the Grow Monmouth Initiative.
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To Reduce Tax Burden, Shared Services Are A Necessity

By Freeholder Thomas Arnone, Monmouth County

The shared services initiatives spearheaded by Monmouth County government have been extremely successful. Under often difficult circumstances, the county has provided key services and recorded very significant cost savings to local partners.

It is estimated the county has saved municipalities millions of dollars through successful sharing of 911 dispatch, public works assistance, Planning Board, cooperative purchasing, information technology and digital records management, among others.

For example, one municipality publicly reported an estimated savings of more than $600,000 per year by participating in the county shared services dispatch program conducted through the Sheriff’s Office. I am pleased to report Neptune Township recently joined the county’s shared services dispatch program, which will save local taxpayers $1 million over the life of the agreement and generate $1.8 million in revenue for the county over the same period, helping to offset expenses and hold the line on taxes.

Monmouth County shares services with all 53 municipalities in an effort to reduce local costs through strong community partnerships. The success of the initial program has allowed for expansion into additional partnerships with police departments, fire departments, first aid squads, authorities, commissions and public schools and institutions of higher learning.

Recently, I instructed our shared services staff to perform a Web-based survey of municipal partners that will serve as a catalyst to an expanded shared services program. This comprehensive survey, which is being conducted now, will help solidify the focus of the program going forward. Based upon the survey responses, the county will continue to streamline and improve its outreach, education and implementation methods to best serve the needs of the community.

The initial response from the survey has been overwhelmingly positive in favor of increasing shared services and expanding the county outreach program. For example, initial responses indicate 100 percent of respondents would consider increasing their use of shared services if the county provided the service at a cost that is less than they currently pay, allowing them to deliver quality services to their constituents at a reduced cost.

Ninety percent of respondents who have used Monmouth County’s shared services stated they are extremely likely or very likely to use the services again in the near future. Nearly 52 percent of respondents stated they first learned of shared services from a Monmouth County shared services representative, from the county shared services Web site or by attending a county shared services seminar or educational outreach event.

Further initial responses showed 100 percent have considered implementing shared services in their own town in an effort to reduce costs. Ninety-six percent of respondents said they would benefit from access to a centralized county Web-based database and interactive posting site and 96 percent said they would have strong interest in attending county sponsored shared services seminars and speaker series.

A large majority indicated a “user fee” was the most attractive way for their organization to pay for shared services, solidifying the county model of covering costs, providing quality services and generating revenues.

Under my leadership, Monmouth County shared services will continue to offer top-quality services to its local partners. Due to economies of scale, the county’s fee-based business model often will provide these services for less than what it would cost a town or school district to do the work themselves, or what it would cost an outside provider to do it, therefore saving taxpayers money.

In addition, the county will be able to offset its costs by pursuing increased revenue opportunities through the newly developing fee-based system. In today’s economic climate, shared services have ceased to be an option and have indeed become a necessity if governments are to deliver top quality services to constituents at more affordable costs.

The new two percent cap and rising institutional costs such as health care and pensions will make the upcoming budget year perhaps the most difficult ever. With true leadership and courage we must continue to tackle these difficult issues head on.

I will not be deterred by the criticism of those who seek self service over progress. Together, we must seize this moment in history to continue to expand shared services if we are to reduce the heavy tax burden on New Jersey citizens and preserve the high quality of life we all have come to enjoy in Monmouth County.

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Oceanport and West Long Branch To Share Emergency Communications and Dispatch Services

By Mayor Michael J. Mahon, Oceanport and Mayor Janet W. Tucci, West Long Branch

On behalf of the Governing Body of our respective communities, we are proud to announce a shared service agreement to provide emergency communications & dispatch services in a joint operation hosted by the West Long Branch Police in the their recently constructed state of the art facility on Broadway. Oceanport will pay West Long Branch $150,000 annually, cutting current annual costs for local dispatch by nearly 50% for each community. Annual increases of 2% are included in the agreement with the boroughs projecting a joint savings of $1.3 Million over the initial five (5) year term.

Leading the local effort has been a Joint Public Safety Committee with representatives from each municipality. Representing Oceanport has been Mayor Michael J. Mahon, Council Members Jay Briscione (now John W. Ibex) & William Johnson along with Police Chief Harold Sutton and Borough Administrator Kimberly A. Jungfer. Representing West Long Branch has been Mayor Janet W. Tucci, Council President Barbara Ruane, Council Members Christopher Neyhart and J. Thomas DeBruin along with Police Chief Arthur A. Cosentino, Captain Larry Mihlon and Borough Administrator John J. Kennedy.

Today marks the beginning of a cooperative effort to reduce the cost of essential services on local taxpayers and meet the requirements of the 2% Cap Law for both borough’s in their 2011 budget. This agreement establishes a single dispatch center in West Long Branch providing public safety communications for two police departments working together on a single frequency. At the same time, it provides a communications console in Oceanport as a back up and for local emergency operations. Thanks are due to the entire Oceanport and West Long Branch Council’s for supporting the efforts of the Joint Committee.

West Long Branch and Oceanport share history and a special relationship with each other dating back to our origins as municipalities and includes regional public schools, recreation programs, environmental advocacy and mutual aid for fire and first aid. Our focus on shared dispatch services as a means to controlling property taxes marks a time in New Jersey where the emphasis on doing more with less is ever present. This effort began in 2008 with the first 50% reduction in state aid for municipalities of less than 10,000 residents. Mayors Tucci and Mahon echoed the same concerns and encouraged our governing bodies to examine every opportunity to match services.   Together we have forged this partnership to make the financial and technological resources available, and bring about a solution that protects our Public Safety personnel and serves our residents. Today, the reality is Oceanport and West Long Branch are in this together. And together we have worked, and will continue to work on completing this project. Discussions on merging or sharing other services are being studied.

Along the way we have needed the support and cooperation of the Police Departments; Chief Arthur Cosentino and Captain Larry Mihlon accompanied by Chief Harold Sutton and Captain Mauro Baldanza (Ret.). Their support and professionalism will determine our mutual success and we are depending on their continued commitment to this effort. The Joint Public Safety Committee will play a continuing role in accordance with the Inter Local Agreement. The next phase has already begun; equipment and software are being installed, and staff is being reduced through attrition or transfer. Joint dispatch operations are set to begin as early as April 1, 2011. Residents won’t notice a difference and will continue to dial 9-1-1 for emergencies and use the current non-emergency numbers for other police business

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