From the desk of the Mayor……..

Recently the concept of “shared services” has become a hot topic in New Jersey. Our Governor is in the very difficult position of trying to fix the finances of our state after years of inappropriate economic policies. New Jersey is deeply in debt with no easy solution in sight. At the same time, property taxes in our state are among the highest in the nation, making it difficult for homeowners to survive, especially in the midst of what appears to be a recession. Combined with other high state taxes, New Jersey’s taxes also make our state very undesirable for business growth. It’s an extremely complex and difficult problem which will require a set of unique concepts if we are to improve New Jersey’s fiscal condition.

Trenton is looking for all the help it can get. With 566 municipalities in our state, no one is denying that we have too many individual towns for our own good. It is, however, as the Governor is finding out, highly unlikely that any towns, no matter how small, will be willing to give up their identity or local control to merge. What is more likely is the idea of “shared services”. One example of shared services is when two or more towns get together to purchase like items at a higher volume than they might be able to do separately, in an effort to get a better price. Another example of shared services might be towns sharing equipment, especially expensive equipment that might not be needed on a daily basis and can be shared easily. Advancing the concept might mean sharing manpower or even entire departments. Although communities are not eager to give up local control, everyone is interested in saving money. What needs to be done to advance “shared services” is a clear-cut outline showing specific examples where communities can save money by combining equipment, manpower and purchasing.

Tenafly is the lead community in the Riverside Cooperative, a group of 16 towns that have been working together since 1991. Together they purchase materials and supplies such as asphalt for road resurfacing. Recently DPW equipment is being shared. Our police chief is working with over 20 towns in an effort to purchase ammunition at a lower price. Also our Borough Hall is working with the Tenafly Public Schools, sharing equipment and looking at other options in an effort to reduce costs. “Shared services” is the way of the future and Tenafly is doing what it can to cut costs and reduce the burden we all share as taxpayers.