Borough to Look Into Sharing Services With Morris County, Madison

The borough's Public Safety Committee will gather input from emergency service providers about the possibility of Morris County and Chatham Borough sharing dispatch services in the future.

The Borough Council passed a resolution at its meeting Monday night that will require the committee to get the information from its police and fire departments, as well as from the Chatham Emergency Squad and the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Councilman John Holman said that with state aid gone and the state's financial situation "likely to get a lot worse," the borough needs a multi-year shared services plan. Sharing dispatch services with Morris County could save the borough $89,000, he said.

"We have an obligation to attempt to be somewhat visionary," Councilman Joseph Marts said of the initiative.

He added that the motion was "strictly exploratory" and said the council would not make any decisions without careful research from the emergency services.

The council also briefly discussed the possibility of sharing electrical, construction, and plumbing inspectors with Madison at a savings cost of $95,000, according to Holman, although nothing was decided.

Council President James Collander said that sharing services was the only way to save money without raising taxes and without cutting services. Raising taxes in the future, he said, may regardless be impossible in the future, due to a likely 2.5 percent cap on property tax increases in the future.

"We're deep into the muscle [of the budget] at this point," Councilman James Lonergan added.

But Borough Electrical Subcode Official Anthony Giampietro said he was worried that a merge in services might cost him a job. He came forward at the meeting to suggest that Chatham could raise its inspection fees—some of the lowest in New Jersey, he said—to save money, instead of looking to share services.

In other business, Collander said that the borough's capital budget should be adopted May 10. Capital projects for Chatham are projected to cost $1.74 million, he said.

The board also adopted a $375 family fee for Memorial Park Pool per Longergan's suggestion. At an April 12 meeting, the board decided to keep the pool open for the 2010 season. Lonergan said he expected that the family fee, which had never been a popular choice in the past, would attract more families this year due to an increase in individual fees from $85 to $125 per person.

Fee changes are as follows: $50 for seniors ($75 for non residents), $100 for individuals ($125 for non residents), $50 for swim lessons, $6 for a guest pass and $375 for family.

Amendments to land development regulation codes were presented for the second time last night, as well. One, which proposed changes to some definitions in the land use regulation code and building height requirements, was passed.

The other amendment, which concerned making changes to regulations developed last year that restrict adult entertainment and body piercing businesses in Chatham, was not passed. Council members said they would further discuss the matter at a future meeting.

The board also quickly ran through and passed a number of resolutions, including the appointment of a new crossing guard, the appointment of new members to the mayor's wellness committee, the authorization of a transfer of funds from the borough to the Public Arts Council, the approval of property tax refunds, permission to the fire department to hold a picnic on July 3, a resolution for a fireworks display on July 3 and authorization to the fire department to conduct a parade July 3.

First readings of several ordinances Monday were also approved, including a $1.5 million ordinance to buy new equipment and fund various improvements within the borough and a $263,100 ordinance that will allow the borough to buy new machinery for its water utility and fund its various improvements.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the borough was exploring potentially sharing emergency dispatch services with Madison. It is not; it is exploring sharing those services with Morris County.