In the News - State Police Funding
Towns buck police plan
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
By Heather Simione
hsimione@sjnewsco.com
With the state now requiring municipalities to begin paying for state police patrols, at least two local government bodies are protesting.
The Borough of Elmer and Mannington Township have both officially objected by passing resolutions opposing the payments.
Under the new state budget, 89 municipalities across the state must chip in on the cost of state police coverage for their rural areas starting in January 2009.
Alloway, Elmer, Mannington, Oldmans, Pilesgrove, Pittsgrove, Quinton and Upper Pittsgrove will all be required to pay. Elmer has a part-time police force and depends on the state police for coverage only a portion of the day.
Pittsgrove Mayor Pete Voros, Alloway Mayor Joseph Fedora and Quinton Mayor Joseph Donelson are among rural mayors all opposed to the plan. A few have a similar resolutions on their upcoming agendas, but nothing has been officially stated.
Elmer Borough Council voted to pass a resolution opposing fees for state police service and endorsing a proposed bill that would increase motor vehicle violation surcharges to raise funds to help pay for the police patrols.
“We believe these fees represent an unconstitutional, unfunded local mandate and will force an increase in local property taxes,” reads the ordinance. “The mayor and borough council of the Borough of Elmer, Salem County remains strongly opposed to changing rural municipalities any amount for state police services.”
Mayor Donald Asay of Mannington Township said his local governing body takes the position to support Sen. Jeff Van Drew in his bill to increase motor vehicle surcharges.
“Is there some reason that smaller municipalities were singled out with this particular service?” asked Asay. “This is a perfect example of a shared service, which is the rhetoric from Trenton. We’re certainly hoping other municipalities will soon join us.”
Still recovering from the loss of approximately $37,000 in state aid, Elmer would now be charged $47,475 for part-time state police coverage.
Councilman Benjamin Laury said passing such a resolution is simply an attempt to avoid a property tax increase on already cash-strapped residents.
“It will probably be five more cents on one hundred (dollars of assessed property value),” he said. “Obviously all over the state of New Jersey property tax is a problem.”
The borough is patrolled from roughly 7 a.m. to midnight by their local police department and the rest of the time by state police.
“We’re paying more than Pittsgrove that has roughly 10,000 residents,” said Elmer Capt. Patrick Bryan. “I’d like to see the other municipalities merge (their police services). It would be a bigger savings. The state police aren’t giving you more coverage or personnel. They’re just assessing a fee.”
Furthermore, Laury said as part of a charter written in the early 1900s, the purpose of state police is to provide coverage for smaller municipalities that can’t afford their own police force.
“The higher crime ridden areas like Camden and Trenton get the majority of the state police time and now the governor is trying to pass that burden on to us,” he said.
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