Public Officials Meeting - State Police Funding

Posted by M Paradis

August 13, 2008

A brief update on the public officials meeting last night in Hampton Borough.

It was practically standing room only in a sometimes “heated” discussion as to why the State feels the need to charge 89 municipalities for rural policing coverage of their municipalities.

Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow, Assemblyman Mike Doherty and Assemblyman Gary Chiusano along with Mayor’s Rob Walton of Hampton Borough, John Inscho of Liberty Twp and Frank VanHorn of Knowlton Twp and League of Municipalities Assistant Executive Director Michael Darcy updated the various municipalities in attendance what has been done, what is being done and next steps.

The unifying position thru all of this is that the “line in the sand” must be drawn and we will NOT PAY for rural police services.

A few next steps -

Meeting on September 4th in Ewing, NJ
Draft Resolution opposing-state-police-cost-shift-2008 from Wantage Township, NJ to be distributed to affected municipalities - Please feel free to modify.
File complaint with the Council on Local Mandates
Get the public involved.
Contact your local elected officials and legislators.

This latest unfunded mandate from the State is the latest “scare tactic” in their quest to consolidate small, rural municipalities into “Corzine Town”.

A huge THANKS go out to the organizers of this meeting. See you all on September 4!