FANWOOD — SCOTCH PLAINS
SHARED SERVICES INITIATIVE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
As of June 30, 2009
23. What about recycling and clean up programs? (Recycling Center in Fanwood – Curbside pickup in Scotch Plains)
Not known as this time.
22. Will student parking at the High School be affected?
No.
21. What about parking permits at the NJ Train Station in Fanwood? (Currently Fanwood residents get priority, then Scotch Plains residents)
Not known at this time.
20. What about the downtown areas of Fanwood and Scotch Plains? Will there be a new “downtown” formed, or kept separate?
Not included in this study.
19. Will there be a change in government? Will we elect a new Mayor and Council of the newly formed combined town?
Not part of this study.
18. What will happen to the:
Municipal buildings?
Police vehicles?
DPW equipment?
Courts?
Libraries?
All unknown at this time.
17. Will the two (2) towns be renamed as one town? Fanwood - Scotch Plains or Scotch Plains - Fanwood.
Not part of this study.
16. Will all these changes be made at once?
No.
15. If the Shared Services Study Committee determines that certain additional services should be shared, what is the safeguard if things “don’t work out?”
Any new shared service would be set up by a contract between two (2) towns, and there would be provisions for a multiple year term limit for that contract.
14. Which town will be responsible for which service?
Not known at this time.
13. Will we receive the same level of service?
Yes, same or better service.
Will we be paying for services provided to the other town?
No.
12. What will happen to the employees of both towns?
Not known at this time.
Will some employees be terminated or laid off?
Not known at this time.
Which employees? How will this be determined? Police, DPW, etc.
Not known at this time.
Will departments be combined, eliminated or retained as separate departments or divisions?
Not known at this time.
11. Is the school system a part of this study?
No.
10. Will property taxes change for each homeowner? In each town? Up or down?
Property Taxes may be reduced or stabilized if and when new shared services are set up, to reflect any reduced expenses or cost savings, due to this new shared service. It is unknown if property taxes will change, but the goal is to maintain and improve services and/or reduce cost.
10A. Will there be re-assessments done to change rates?
Not as a result of the Shared Services studies.
9. Are all services that are currently provided by each town being considering for sharing?
Yes.
8. As citizens will we be part of the decision making process prior to changes being made?
Each new Shared Service or recommendation made by this study committee must be reviewed and approved by both towns. Each town must consider and approve these recommendations prior to any new Shared Service being created.
This can only be done by resolution or ordinance and must be adopted at a public meeting in each town by each Governing Body.
The citizens of each town have the right to participate in these meetings.
7. When will we know the results of the study?
The members of this committee were selected in March, the first meeting was held in April, and the study began approximately April 17, 2009. The Consultant was formally hired in May, and the on-site meetings with the municipal employees and departments will begin during the month of June, 2009.
The Final Report with recommendations is scheduled to be completed and submitted by Jersey Professional Management no later than December 31, 2009. The two (2) governing bodies plan to review and discuss the report during January and February 2010.
6. Is this a first step towards consolidation? (i.e., combining our two (2) towns?)
No.
5. Who is paying the Consultant’s fees?
The two (2) towns applied to the Department of Community Affairs of the State of New Jersey for a grant to pay for this study. 100% of the $48,000 fee to be paid to the Consultant will come from these State funds.
4. What Consultant is assisting with this study?
The Scotch Plains – Fanwood Shared Services Study Committee Members recommended that the two (2) towns jointly hire Jersey Professional Management (JPM) of Cranford, New Jersey to assist their committee with this study. JPM has, over the past nine (9) years, been jointly hired by the two (2) towns and the Scotch Plains – Fanwood Board of Education to assist with other Shared Services studies, and help implement new Shared Services.
JPM has been providing management consulting services to over 300 New Jersey municipalities since 1988, and has assisted five (5) counties and numerous municipalities study and create new Shared Services. There are approximately 17 Consultants working for JPM, and the company is completely non-partisan.
3. Who are the Members of the Shared Services Study Committee?
The Members appointed by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Fanwood are:
Mayor Colleen Mahr
Council President Donna Dolce
Council Member David Valian
Borough Administrator - Clerk Eleanor McGovern
The Members appointed by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Scotch Plains are:
Mayor Nancy Malool
Deputy Mayor Jeffrey Strauss
Construction Official/Formerly Acting Co-Manager Bob LaCosta
Chief Financial Officer Lori Majeski
2. Why is this Shared Services Study being conducted?
The reason for this study at this time is the ever-increasing costs for municipalities to provide quality services for their citizens. Elected Officials from both towns realize they must consider all possible options for new Shared Services to help reduce costs, continue to provide excellent services, and hopefully reduce and/or stabilize property taxes.
1. What is this Shared Services Study all about?
The Residents and Governing Bodies of the Borough of Fanwood and the Township of Scotch Plains have enjoyed an excellent cooperative relationship for many years. The Borough and the Township share one (1) School District. Many residents participate in the same activities, clubs, churches, recreation and sporting events.
The two (2) towns also share many services. The purpose of this study is to conduct a “full Shared Services study” to consider many other possible Shared Services or joint departments between these two (2) towns.
The goal is to improve services and reduce costs to help reduce and stabilize property taxes.
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