Photo by Yael Katzwer
South Orange and Maplewood have agreed to form a joint exploratory committee to look into creating sharing efficiencies between the two towns’ fire departments.
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Last week, the governing bodies of both Maplewood and South Orange unanimously passed resolutions approving the creation of a joint exploratory committee to look into shared services for the two towns’ fire departments.
The Maplewood Township Committee passed Resolution No. 180-15 at its Sept. 15 meeting and the South Orange Board of Trustees passed Resolution No. 2015-215 at its Sept. 16 meeting. Both resolutions evinced nearly identical language.
According to both resolutions, Maplewood and South Orange are looking into this as the two towns “have a history of sharing services to achieve economic savings and improved services” and as both towns are “committed to continually reviewing all government operations to deliver the highest level of services to residents in the most cost-efficient manner.”
Both towns have agreed to create a joint exploratory committee to investigate possible shared efficiencies in the delivery of fire protection services with, according to the resolutions, the following goals: providing the highest quality of fire services to residents in both towns; maintaining an appropriate level of firefighting personnel and equipment; and achieving economic and operational efficiencies.
At Maplewood’s Sept. 15 committee meeting, Committeeman Marlon K. Brownlee expressed his support for investigating efficiency options for the fire departments.
“It is our responsibility as members of the Township Committee to ensure we’re running our operations in as efficient a manner as possible,” Brownlee, who is chairman of the Maplewood Public Safety Committee, said. “I, of course, think it’s paramount that we do things in a manner to ensure that we do whatever we can to ensure the safety of all the residents of the town.”
Brownlee acknowledged that there are numerous logistical details to be worked out, but he is pleased with the decision to explore shared services.
At the meeting, Township Committee candidate Greg Lembrich also expressed his support for the resolutions during the public comment part of the meeting.
At the South Orange Board of Trustees meeting the following night, village President Sheena Collum said she was “thrilled to get this started.”
“I’m very pleased to see that the Maplewood Township Committee supported the companion resolution to our 2015-215,” Collum said Sept. 16.
She continued that the next step will be for the joint exploratory committee to craft and issue a Request For Proposal for a third-party consultant, the cost of which will be split by the two towns.
Mayor Vic DeLuca stated Sept. 15 that the committee will be composed of himself, Collum, Brownlee, Trustee Howard Levison, Maplewood Business Administrator Joseph Manning and South Orange Business Administrator Barry Lewis Jr.