Matawan to Further Discuss Combined Court System

The Matawan Borough Council discussed joining a regional court system at the Sept. 6 regular action meeting with neighboring municipalities. The ordinance is on the Sept. 20 meeting agenda.

According to Borough Attorney Pasquale Menna, the agreement would be between Matawan, Hazlet and Keyport. The Hazlet Municipal Court would host the court system because it is the most up to date facility, according to Mayor Paul Buccellato.

The move, discussed at Sept. 6 workshop session, would save money, according to the council, because of the shared services. For example, there would only be one judge rather than three. Since it is a regional court system, the judge would have to be appointed at the state level, according to Menna.

"This is something that is not new, other areas are doing it," Buccellato said. "Matawan is looking at it for major cost savings."

The savings are estimated at $80,000 a year for the borough, with Hazlet and Keyport also saving approximately that much each.

Read more .