West Orange To Revisit ‘Shared Service’ Dispatch Deal With Livingston

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange town officials are still kicking the wheels on a potential deal with Livingston to share emergency dispatch services for their police and fire departments.

In February, the West Orange Town Council voted 3-2 against Resolution 56-23, which would have authorized officials to apply for funds to run a non-binding “feasibility study” to explore the idea (watch the video below).

Livingston Town Manager Barry Lewis offered more details about the proposal in a January letter to John Gross, the business administrator in West Orange. Lewis wrote:

“This letter follows our recent meetings and discussions which included you and Chief James Abbott over our mutual interest in studying the feasibility and potential benefits of a Regional Shared Service for Emergency Communications/Dispatch for our public safety agencies. As you are aware, those discussions have included several neighboring municipalities, including South Orange, Maplewood and Roseland. In furtherance of these efforts, Assistant Township Manager Adam Loehner and I recently met with NJ DCA staff concerning available assistance through the Local Efficiency Achievement Program (LEAP). The LEAP program can provide technical and/or financial assistance in the initial evaluation and assessment of the feasibility of a shared service, with addition funding potentially available to offset implementation costs of a shared service. In order to enlist DCA assistance, we have been requested to provide resolutions from the potential partner municipalities ‘Supporting the Exploration of a Shared Service.’”

“Please contact me with any questions you may have or to confirm that West Orange remains interested in exploring this possible shared service,” Lewis concluded.

On Feb. 21, a resolution that would have given a thumbs-up from West Orange’s end was narrowly rejected by the council (article continues below).

However, according to West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney, the potential savings to local taxpayers is worth taking another shot at getting the resolution passed.

On Wednesday, McCartney said she has asked town administrators to place Resolution 56-23 back on the agenda for the next council meeting on May 2.

“I pledged to find cost-saving opportunities when I was elected mayor to help stabilize our municipal taxes,” McCartney said. “One challenge is always maintaining a delicate balance between keeping West Orange affordable while providing a full range of services to our residents.”

The mayor continued:

“At the February 21 council meeting, the township council voted down what could have been a beneficial opportunity to apply and receive a grant from the state of New Jersey. Resolution 56-23 was voted down by a 3-to-2 margin that could have provided crucial funding for our community. The resolution rejected by the council was for a grant to fund a study of potential shared service agreements specifically with Livingston but would consider other surrounding municipalities. Shared services in the past have provided us with great added resources offering savings on municipal dollars that provide us the ability to further stabilize taxes. An important benefit to realize is that every single dollar that would be spent in connection with this grant has already been approved by the state and will be provided at no cost to the taxpayers.”

West Orange would not be obligated to carry out the findings of the study in any way, McCartney added.

“I urge all residents that support these cost saving studies to email the township council at council@westorange.org to express your support,” McCartney said. “Encourage the township council to reconsider and vote yes for this grant money in Resolution 56-23 that is in the best interest of the residents of West Orange.”

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