Bernards Twp. Votes Against Merged County PD

In an entire report and detailed comments from every members and other officials on Tuesday, not one "pro" was mentioned in favor of the township joining a

The Township Committee voted 5-0 during Tuesday's meeting to send a strong answer of "no" to a request from Somerset County that the county's municipalities respond by Aug. 1 on whether they are interested in joining a countywide regional police force.

In the proposal presented in April, Bernards would have been assigned to a northern Somerset "precinct" that would have included all five Somerset Hills towns.

County officials—with extensive participation of municipal officials from around Somerset County, including Chief Brian Bobowicz and Bruce McArthur, —have been studying and debating the idea since 2006, McArthur said.

But even in all that time, McArthur said the report overlooked many costs and failed to adequately investigate how any potential costs savings might be achieved, or even accurately estimate the expense of running a countywide police operation.

"I don't believe for a second that Bernards Township is going to save $1.4 million over 10 years," McArthur said, referring to the report's figures that the county as a whole would save an estimated $40 million during the first decade of consolidatoin, with Bernards taxpayers receiving somewhat less than $1.5 million during that time period.

McArthur—part of a township-appointed subcommittee set up to dissect the proposal before Tuesday night's final report—presented a laundry list of areas in which he said that costs cited by the county were "grossly underestimates" or completely overlooked.

He said that the plan to build new regional police centers calls for bonding to raise that money — and Bernards Township had just paid off the last of its bonds in 2011.

Even by the county's estimates, Bernards Township wouldn't expect to experience any cost savings during the first two years of the implementation of the regional police operation, noted Bobowicz, who had served on the facilities committee for the county study.

The county estimates the township would experience some small savings by the third year, Bobowicz said, "But that is when they will consider bonding" to raise money for facilties, he noted.

"The coverage called for in Bernards Township is currently less than we have," McArthur said. He said the minimum assignment of police officers on duty now in the township's independent police department would be the maximum number on the county proposal — and those same officers would be at the same time covering some surrounding areas, such as The Hills section of Bedminster Township.

"If we were to consolidate, there would be a dilution of staff," Bobowicz said. As far as costs for implementing the plan, "There's too many unanswered financial questions."

Along with questioning the costs and why Bernards Township would want to yield control so as to be only one vote among many in governing a larger regional force, Township Committeeman John Carpenter, who headed the township's subcommittee, said that most other departments have not provided the training that allows every officer in Bernards Township to fully work alongside first aid and fire personnel in emergency situations.

Since police are usually first on the scene of any incident, "They are the first first-responders," Carpenter said.

He listed other advantages of having a township-run police department, including what he said is the county's lowest per capita crime rate and cost per capita to run the 38-member Bernards Township police department. He said studies show that Bernards Township's size falls within the "sweet spot" of running a local police department with maximum efficiency.

"Our number one responsibility is the safety of the residents of Bernards Township," Carpenter said as committee members prepared to vote on an official response for the county. While thanking those county officials who undertook and conducted the study, he said he does not believe the proposal works for Bernards Townshp.

"The process was flawed, the data is flawed," Township Mayor Mary Pavlini said of the county's study.

"The projected costs are not guaranteed," said Deputy Mayor Carolyn Gaziano, who served on the township subcommittee analyzing the county report. "It could cost Bernards Township millions in increased costs," she said, adding, "We are currently debt free."

Despite the many years spent on studying the proposal, Township Committeeman Scott Spitzer called the final report issued by the county a "rush to judgement."

"We took the time to pick through this," Spitzer said of financial estimates and other details.

"We are going to trade off our [existing] service to assist other towns," he said.

The report was a case of "politics drives economics," said Township Committeeman John Malay. The study worked "backwards" to provide the conclusion that the plan, favored by some officials, would save money, he suggested.

Malay and others said the study drew together much local talent to provide input into the report, but he still disagrees with its conclusions.

"Frankly, I am not going to mess with success," Malay said of the township's police department.