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July 9, 2008 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL JOINT MEETING BOROUGH OF LITTLE SILVER BOROUGHOF FAIR HAVEN BOROUGH OF RUMSON LITTLE SILVER BOROUGH HALL JULY 9, 2008 The meeting was called to order and the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act given by Mayor Castleman at 7:00 p.m. "Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the mailing of a notice to the Asbury Park Press and The Two River Times, by filing same with the Clerk of the Borough of Little Silver, Fair Haven and Rumson, and by prominently posting said notice on the bulletin boards of the Borough Halls, all since June 26, 2008." Mayor Castleman noted that no action would be taken at this meeting, it was for information purposes only. Mayor Castleman led the salute to the flag, followed by a moment of silence. Roll Call: Borough of Little Silver Present: Mayor Castleman Mr. Bitman Mr. Galante Mr. VanWinkle Attorney Bennett Absent: Mr. DeNoia Mr. Gilmour* Mr. Neff** *arrived at 7:04 p.m. **arrived at 7:08 p.m. Borough of Fair Haven Present: Mayor Halfacre Mr. Lehnert Mr. Peters Mr. Rinn Attorney Alfieri Absent: Mr. Banahan Mr. Gilmour* Mr. Koch *arrived late Borough of Rumson: Present: Mayor Ekdahl Mr. Broderick Mrs. Devoe Mr. Hemphill Mr. Kammerer Mr. Rubin Mr. Shanley Attorney Barger Absent: None Mayor Castleman then turned the meeting over to Mayor John Ekdahl. Mayor Ekdahl welcomed the attendees and thanked them for coming out to learn about the Two River Regional Police Study. He then reviewed the Agenda for the meeting, which would be a one-half hour slide presentation by Brian Valentino of Patriot Consulting Group, Inc., the group that the three towns chose to conduct the study. He added that a grant paid for 90% of the study. He said about an hour of questions and answers would follow. Mayor Ekdahl then introduced former Little Silver Borough Council President and now Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, who started the effort for this study over two years ago. Assemblyman O’Scanlon said that for the last seven or eight years, shared services have been discussed and implemented. He said that it is becoming more important for governments to do more with less, as has also been stated by the NJ Governor. Mr. O’Scanlon said he felt, after going through the Police Study process, he had a good idea of where savings are. He said about two years ago, the issue of shared services within Police Departments had first been discussed. He clarified that the focus was determined to be maintaining the level of police and emergency response at or better than where it is when started, and that has continued to be the theme of discussions throughout the process. He further stated the issue of the possibility of layoffs was another primary focus. He said the intention, at this point, would be that if there were to be any reduction in staff, it would happen through attrition. Mr. O’Scanlon further stated the three towns had been chosen for the geographic and demographic consistency. He added that this is an ongoing process, and that no one at this meeting is committing to doing anything and that even as the process moves forward, there is nothing that cannot be undone. He asked that all in attendance approach the matter with an open mind, and with the objective of providing the best services delivered to residents of Little Silver, Rumson and Fair Haven at the most efficient rates and lowest costs. He then introduced Brian Valentino of Patriot Consulting Group. Mr. Valentino stated that his purpose was to present the findings of the study and to answer questions the Mayors and Council members may have. He added that this was the first of what would be many meetings, before any decisions would be made. Mr. Valentino continued that the mobilization and investigation phases of the study had been completed, and tonight’s meeting was part of the final phase of analysis, and the next step would be a final report, which will be issued to the Municipal Clerks for public record. He said tonight’s meeting was one of several on a local and regional level, to brief elected officials on the feasibility of sharing law enforcement services. Tonight the consulting group would offer initial recommendations and courses of actions to the elected officials. His presentation was accompanied by visual slides. Mr. Valentino explained the purpose of the report and the statistics of each town. He reviewed the criteria for collecting data, and also noted that the three towns are very similar in most ways. He further reviewed the work his group did on the report, and noted that they were required to follow two decision rules: Any recommendations made must maintain or improve law enforcement service delivery and, it must result in a projected cost savings. He said his observations were as follows: 1) The three municipalities are receiving outstanding, but in many cases, duplicate services 2) Many of the services are already being shared in some informal manner between two or more of the towns 3) Common sense dictates that these three very similar towns can share some, or possibly all, of their services. He further said that, in general, shared services makes sense right now, specifically purchasing, communications technology, prisoner processing and holding, criminal investigation, traffic functions and youth aid services. Mr. Valentino said that any officers working in the shared function would work at one agency as a team, providing cross-jurisdictional assignments. The individual Chiefs of Police would continue in command of their departments, and patrol functions would remain in their existing department and existing towns. He further noted that the recommendations during the sharing phase call for no recommended layoffs, no terminations, no reduction in staffing, and that none of the recommendations results in decreased service to the public. He presented and explained a diagram of the shared services function. Mr. Valentino said the collection data processes of each town were different, making it difficult to determine the nature of each department’s present responsibilities. He added, that because of the way the budgets are managed, financial data might vary. He said there are also variables that may appear over the next few years, and there is no way to predict what certain costs will be. Mr. Valentino continued that the Police Chiefs have informed the study group that they cannot support all the recommendations and have explained why. The Chiefs also prefer the immediate, rather than incremental, regionalization of all three departments. His recommendations were: • Traditional shared services agreements should be executed among the three towns • Prepare for and establish a management committee • Implement a uniform collection of all call tracking data • As soon as a significant set of call data is collected, the feasibility of a full regionalization of all law enforcement services should be considered Mr. Valentino said all the recommendations meet the directions of the study group. They maintain or improve services, potentially reduce costs, and enhance the quality of life for the average police officer and dispatcher, in giving them a more variety of things to do in a larger population and geographic base, with the opportunity to serve on specialized teams, more work diversity and more training and advancement opportunities. He then discussed the details of the purchasing plan, which will allow for standardization of purchases throughout the three towns, simplifying the purchasing process. The consolidation of the communications function into a centralized center, calling for two dispatchers on duty, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He said higher training standards could possibly designate the centralized communications center as an emergency 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point, rather than the service being relayed from its current County location. He continued that new and upgraded radio and communications equipment would be paid for by a State implementation plan, and that this would include a GPS in every patrol car, and allow for the dispatchers to locate patrol cars. Mr. Valentino further stated that the recommendation for services to be shared because it increases, improves and enhances communications. Mr. Valentino noted that one Police Chief could not support the sharing of communications functions unless housed in his municipality. He then reviewed information technology, calling for standardization of computer generated dispatch and records management. The system is currently in use in Rumson, and has been requested by Little Silver and Fair Haven for use in those towns. This system would allow officers to do more in the field, and allows for uniform collection of call data. The recommendation for shared prisoner observation, to formalize the processing technology, allowing officers to process and detain prisoners at one central location, where the dispatchers can observe them until removed to another facility. He said this would make more efficient use of personnel and increases safety. A centralized detective bureau would consist of one supervising detective and two detectives. This formalizes the current sharing of detective resources and personnel, making more efficient use of personnel, and putting more detectives on duty more often. Mr. Valentino stated he anticipated the number of cases solved in all three towns would increase as a result of shared criminal investigation. He then reviewed the recommendation for the Youth Aid Team. He said both youth aid officers and elected officials have expressed that there be more proactive, positive relations between law enforcement and youth communities. He said this would formalize the work already being done with the youth. He said it would also give youth officers a dedicated time to work with non-traditional and high-risk youth groups. He said the School Resource Officer in Little Silver would become part of the Youth Aid Team, but continue to serve only Little Silver Schools. Mr. Valentino then reviewed the regionalized traffic bureau, with a traffic safety officer as a supervisor, and three additional traffic safety officers as support, to once again, formalize the current sharing of traffic needs. There would also be a traffic safety and accident team, for general traffic purposes. An accident investigation team would receive specialized training in accident investigation, allowing patrol officers to return to patrol duty more quickly. The traffic enforcement team would provide targeted, routine and special enforcement of traffic regulations, with a goal of rapid response to citizen complaints, such as speeding. School crossing guards would also be brought into the traffic bureau. Mr. Valentino then explained that the full regionalization of the Police Department was not being recommended at this time, though it may be feasible in the future, after the sharing plan discussed here has been in effect long enough, to assess the effectiveness, viability, and collect sufficient call data. He further noted that this meeting now begins the first of discussion and debate, on a municipal and regional level. He recommended implementation of a Joint Management Committee, to oversee the sharing operations and the long-term activities of what is now called the Two River Police Study Group. He also recommended adopting a Shared Services Agreement, and also to apply for NJ Share Implementation Grants to cover the cost of implementation of shared services. Mr. Valentino ended his presentation, and turned the meeting back over to Mayor Ekdahl, who opened the floor to questions, allowing two to three minutes per question, and one question each. Phil Jacobs, Rumson, said he would like the program Mr. Valentino presented to be put in a binder for those interested to study individually. Mr. Valentino said a public report would be issued in about three to four weeks. Carol Boyer, Rumson, asked if all the statistics presented would be included in the report, and Mayor Ekdahl replied yes. Jennifer Eckhoff, Rumson, asked why a grant was sought to apply for the police study, as opposed to any other regionalized opportunity. Mayor Ekdahl replied that there aren’t any other large departments that the three communities run, other than possibly Public Works. Ms. Eckoff further asked why the Police was chosen, rather than Public Works. Mayor Ekdahl answered that there is currently interactive work being done among the Police Departments. Ed Moran, Rumson, asked about the budget cost benefit to the towns. It was explained that the amount Mr. Moran questioned in the budget, was the total personnel cost of the program, not as one number in the budget. Mr. Valentino further explained that the savings is in patrol and traditional police services, that the largest cost is personnel related, so it is not possible to specify a figure that would be savings. Former Rumson Mayor Charles “Chillie” Callman, asked how the cost of any one piece of equipment would be distributed among the three towns. Mr. Valentino answered that the Joint Management Committee would be told by Ordinance how the costs would be apportioned, based on decisions by the individual towns. Mr. Callman noted that when the schools regionalized, the State dictated how the portions would be shared, resulting in one town bearing more of the cost, and he expressed concern that this could happen with the Police Departments. Assemblyman O’Scanlon replied that anything in this first phase could be undone, so if that situation arose, it would be undone. He added that there were assurances from the Dept. of Community Affairs that they would not inflict such a perverted allocation of costs. Leigh Callman, Rumson, stated she was concerned about the human element of the plan, that the presentation and discussion seemed based on business and statistics. She noted a recent traffic incident where the response of the Rumson police was excellent. She further expressed concern that the distance within the three towns would limit response time in emergency situations. Dennis Godek, of Patriot Consulting Group, answered that through a central dispatch and communications center, the situation would be no different, that it would be a matter of control by the dispatch center. Barb Dillon, Fair Haven, asked who makes the final decision on a matter like this. Mayor Ekdahl replied that the Governing Bodies of each town makes the decision, and there would not be a referendum. Mike Campanella, Rumson, asked, in regard to calls for service, if there would be a way to track and analyze where the police would be, and will they be addressed. Mr. Valentino replied that there is no definition in place, but there could be one developed that would be consistent in all towns. He then replied that dispatchers at a central location would handle all calls in all three towns the same way. He further stated that computerized data collecting is necessary. Mr. Godek noted that all three police departments are tracking and compiling data, but they use different systems and calls are classified differently. Sgt. LaBruno, Little Silver Police, asked how many members and what percentage of each police department were spoken to in regard to the plan. Mr. Godek replied that he could not tell right now how many members of each department were spoken to, that he met with a number of officers of each department, the dispatchers and union officials. He said he also attended a Fair Haven PBA meeting, and did “ride alongs” in all towns. Sgt. LaBruno added that in addition to his regular duties, he does scheduling, maintenance and purchasing, and was never spoken to about the study. George O’Brien, NJ State PBA, said he is in Labor Relations for the PBA. He noted that collective bargaining agreements had not been addressed in the study, and asked how salaries would be regionalized to be consistent throughout the departments. Marty Barger, Attorney for Rumson Borough, answered that at this point the Police Departments were not being regionalized, so each department would handle their own negotiations and contracts. Darryl Breckenridge, Fair Haven Police Chief, stated that the Chiefs disagree with three parts of the Phase I Study, those being sharing services of the detective bureau, traffic and youth services. He said that staff could not be maintained well and efficiency would be lost, and that they were in disagreement to those aspects. Lori Pomphrey, Rumson, said that she is a member of the Rumson faculty, and they have police officers involved with their Youth Programs. She expressed concern that the officers the students meet in the schools would not be the same ones they see on the streets, and there would not be a connection with those police officers. She noted that would not be the level of service they presently have. Greg Sacco, Rumson, asked what the process going forward would be, since the residents had been informed they would have no say in the decision. He added that residents were not informed of tonight’s meeting and that the decision on the study should be a referendum, and not be pushed through by the Governing Bodies. He urged the elected officials to have a referendum. Mayor Ekdahl replied that the meeting was properly noticed in the Two River Times and the Asbury Park Press. Don Devine, Rumson, stated that he saw employees of the towns and elected officials, but did not see many residents of each town present at the meeting. He asked if now the towns could move forward on Phase I, based on tonight’s public meeting. He further noted that no specific cost savings had been cited, and there should be a public referendum to make this decision that affects all residents. Mayor Ekdahl replied that he did not feel this study was proposed because of lack of service by police department but, rather, could increase the level of service to each town. Mr. Devine further stated that the public needs to be apprised of all the facts and allowed to vote on implementation. He suggested going back five years to analyze costs and determine exact savings. Roy Eckhoff, Rumson, asked if there were other towns in Monmouth County that had considered such a proposal, and what were the results. Assemblyman O’Scanlon replied that a number of towns in southern Monmouth County had discussed it, and that it was a different process, on which he could not comment. He explained that there are two different types of regionalization, and that this would be the type where police departments join forces and each town having an equal share in the total department. He added that this program is being done in the most conservative way, and that there is nothing in the plan that can’t be undone and monitored for the safety and response level. He said a referendum at this point would not be necessary, as this is not a radical plan and there are many small items to be addressed between the governing bodies and police departments. Ptl. Kevin Gaynor, Rumson PBA, said there had been discussion of dispatch consolidation with Little Silver and Shrewsbury, but had not heard anything more about it, and asked what the outcome was. Assemblyman O’Scanlon replied that the plan had not been pursued, because it appeared to be more of a contract for services, with loss of control and not enough cost savings. Ptl. Gaynor then asked if the current number of 46 police officers would remain the same during implementation of Phase I. Mr. Valentino replied that number would stay the same, unless someone retires or leaves, and it would be a local option whether or not they would be replaced. Joe Lagrotteria, Rumson, said he felt this plan would add stress to the police officers by having to cover more territory with the same amount of staff, and that it was also a safety issue, in that there might not be enough officers to provide adequate backup to officers in need. Mayor Ekdahl said he didn’t see the logic in regard to the number of officers, that it would be the same basic coverage. Doris McConghey, asked who was on the study group referred to in the earlier presentation. Mr.Valentino replied that there were council representatives of each town. She then asked how people could get on the Joint Management Committee discussed earlier. Mr. Valentino suggested talking to the local Council, that it would be a local decision. Ms. McConghey added that during the presentation, it was noted that by combining the detective bureaus, they would “anticipate more success”. She said she felt this was insulting to the Police Department, in view of the fine job they, including the detectives, do. Mr. Valentino said it was not meant to be insulting, and that he could not guarantee any results from this program. Councilwoman Joan DeVoe, Rumson, said that she had researched the effort for a similar program in the southern part of the county, with eight communities. She said she spoke to Mayor Frankel, who reported the effort “fizzled out, that it died its own death”. Sandra Talerico, Little Silver, asked if there was a way to get a range of numbers on what the cost savings would be. Mr. Valentino replied that his group’s responsibility was to analyze the feasibility of sharing services, that the feasibility of how to implement would be made by the Governing Bodies and Chiefs of Police. He said decisions would have to be made as to what level of service was to be provided by whom, before he could give a solid number. He said there are savings potential in areas such as purchasing, personnel, and overtime, but those decisions first have to be made in order to determine actual cost savings. Maria Sacco, Rumson, said that Mr. Valentino noted in the presentation that some services were already being shared, and asked how long this sharing had been done and, in the process, if it had become more efficient and saved money. Mr. Valentino replied that he could not answer that, the Chiefs of Police would have that answer, but noted that these sharings were being done informally, that officers were helping each other when necessary. Mrs. Boyton, Rumson, asked Mayor Ekdahl to make a commitment to inform the citizens of Rumson about the progress on this, make sure everyone has availability to the report, and make sure everyone is informed at meetings on the progress. Mayor Ekdahl said he would make the report available, and that it is possible there will be a need for more public meetings. Mayor Michael Halfacre, Fair Haven, stated that this is the first of what he envisions as a number of public meetings. He noted that this meeting is to get a brief overview out to the public, to receive some feedback, and for the elected officials to further discuss it. He further stated nothing was being voted on or implemented at this meeting, that nothing was being done except presenting a preliminary picture of the plan. Mrs. Boynton said her concern is that the citizens be informed and their voices be heard. Jon Peters, Councilman, Fair Haven, said that there are budgetary items, including pension and health care costs, that need to be considered, and it was not a probability the State would provide cash to solve these problems. He continued that it makes sense to seek solutions to these things now, rather than wait until the last minute, and have the officers not receive their pensions. He said it requires much further discussion and voicing of opinions. A Rumson resident asked if there was a projection as to how long Phase I would be, and how it would be determined a success, since it had been noted that data could not be properly collected. Mr. Valentino replied that once the technology is in place and the definitions of calls for service had been determined by the Chiefs of Police, data would then be collected in a consistent manner across the three towns. This would build a data set using the current system and establishing a consistency. He said he could not project the date this might be done. He said this left him to only recommend to the Governing Bodies to do nothing other than share within the system and collect data, so that rational decisions could be made in the future. Ed Rumolo, Little Silver, retired Rumson Police Chief, asked Mr. Valentino how many of these studies he had done, and what was his background. Mr. Valentino replied that as a firm, a total of seven studies had been done, and they were in the process of doing three more. He stated he is a former Municipal Administrator in four towns, including Shrewsbury, with 15 years experience and a Masters degree in Administration. He said he is a volunteer Fire Officer and a state-certified Incident Commander for Emergency Management. Dennis Goldak stated that he is a retiree of 24 years as a Police Department Captain, a former Administrator, and a firefighter. Ptl. Pete Gibson, President of Little Silver PBA, asked if there were other towns being brought into the study for Phase II, that would affect Phase I, such as Oceanport or Shrewsbury. Mr. Valentino replied that Oceanport is currently in Phase II of their study, that the Phase II study builds upon Phase I, and takes Oceanport into that mix, and the Borough of Shrewsbury opted out. Assemblyman O’Scanlon said both of those towns were not included in this study because of the differences in policing. He said he did not see a possibility of including Oceanport in the project. Lester Mallon, Fair Haven, asked if the report would be available in electronic format, such as PDF, on a website. Mr. Valentino said he could not say how it would be made available, but that each town would receive it electronically as well as in hard copy form. Mr. Mallon asked if there were other towns similar to these three, which had implemented a sharing program. Mr. Valentino replied that he was not aware of more than two towns studying sharing. He said he was aware of two towns studying eliminating their Police Departments and contracting with a third, but a study like that would not pertain here. He said there were other towns that consolidated by eliminating one Police Department and contracting with the other, but that too, does not meet the model directed by the elected officials of these three towns. He noted that there were five Fire Departments that were consolidated into one regional Fire Department, and that it was handled completely differently, with no public comment, no labor input or input from administration. He said there have been serious ramifications from that forced consolidation, and officials in these three towns have given direction that this study was not to be handled in the same way. Dennis Gold commented that in Pennsylvania there was a group of five municipalities, which combined to form a regional police force. Sgt. Jeff Nixon, Rumson, asked if other phases of the study had been given to Council Members. Mr. Valentino replied that the other phases had not been implemented yet. Phase II included other towns (Oceanport and Shrewsbury had withdrawn) and Phase III was Patriot Group assisting with the implementation of their recommendations. Sgt. Nixon followed up to ask if any further information was available, and if cuts in manpower were to be considered in these plans. Mr. Valentino replied that they were legally prohibited from terminating police officers, but that Patriot Group was trying to make their report and recommendations useful for all. Assemblyman O’Scanlon said that Phase I is a shared services plan. After decisions are made, the numbers will then be run, to evaluate the savings. He did not know where we will wind up, and stated that we must take “baby steps” first. Ptl. Chris Ishwood, Rumson PBA, questioned that regionalization may create leadership strife and asked if this had been studied. He also noted that the diversity of officers and the dispersal of thoughts among the towns were a problem. Mr. Valentino replied that the departments would need to get used to working together, in spite of the dispersal among towns. At the time of consolidation, the actual leadership question would be addressed. John Lehnert, Fair Haven, expressed concern and hope that this was just the first of many meetings. Lynn Campanella noted that extra meetings should be open to the public. Mayor Ekdahl replied that there would be other meetings. Marie Petersen, Rumson, asked how the public would be able to be involved and know when meetings are scheduled. Mayor Ekdahl replied that the meetings would be legally published. Scott Patterson, Rumson PBA, stated that Rumson’s Police Department is increasing services at this time. Trish Sullivan, Rumson, commented that the public and elected officials should be performing ongoing studies of issues, that the officials are elected to represent the view of the public. Lt. Dan Petrucelli, Rumson PBA, stated that in the “police culture”, the police officers respond to emergencies despite being involved in another project, and the police officers are “jacks-of-all-trades”. He further stated this type of response has worked effectively for the small town police departments in this area. Mr. Valentino replied that it comes down to deployment by the Chief, and that the “jack-of-all-trades” works. He stated that Patriot Group is not dictating that any police department should operate otherwise. Lt. Dan Petrucelli, Rumson PBA, stated that Patriot Group is talking about specialization. Their department already shares their units, yet they can still respond to an emergency. He then asked how Patriot’s suggestions are any more efficient. Mr. Valentino further replied that efficiency consists of a dollar component and a service component. The Police Chief decides how to allocate the manpower to balance the two components. Mr. Valentino further stated that he recognizes that the departments already back up one another, and that Patriot Group is suggesting a more formal approach. Dick Schmidt, Little Silver, asked if the meetings will always be joint or will there be individual town meetings. Mayor Ekdahl replied that the committees had not discussed the issue. Mr. Schmidt asked where are the politicians, State Police, rules and authority for this regionalization cited in the study? Mr. Valentino replied that their written narrative cites the statutory authority. Seeing no further questions from the public, Mayor Ekdahl stated that this would not be the last meeting to discuss the study. He further noted that there were good points raised by the public and good responses to the questions. Assemblyman O’Scanlon wrapped up the meeting by stating that there are different approaches to sharing police services, including merging with other towns, and that they have tried to do what is in everyone’s best interest. He noted that some in Trenton want to dictate what happens at the local level, but that he believes that will not be necessary if we lead the way. Mayor Castleman called for a Motion to adjourn: Motion: Mayor Halfacre Second: Mayor Ekdahl Vote: Voice Vote – Ayes – Unanimous The Meeting was adjourned at 9:28 p.m. ________________________________ Michael D. Biehl Administrator/Clerk | |||||||||||||||
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