FREEHOLD – Shared services. It’s not just a buzzword anymore.
As governments around the country face uphill battles to balance their budgets while responding to increasing expectations from their citizens, sharing services can be a real money saver.
Can government cut costs and respond to the growing demand for services? The answer is yes.
“That’s the opportunity a ‘shared service’ presents,” Freeholder Director Barbara J. McMorrow said. “Functions such as those housed in public works and procurement are already being centralized to reduce costs and gain a competitive edge. And Monmouth County is leading the way.”
“We had a very good turnout at our last meeting with participation from 43 of the county’s 53 municipalities,” Freeholder Robert D. Clifton said. “The will to share services is there.”
Since many countywide services are already being offered on a broad scope, it makes sense for the county to serve as a coordinating agency. Even before shared services entered the lexicon, Monmouth County has been providing a range of services that only a few municipalities were able to provide on their own. These include welfare, drug and alcohol counseling, mental health services, mosquito and gypsy moth control and transportation.
“The opportunity to share services was expanded in 2007 and 2008 to give municipalities an opportunity to take advantage of many of the same items the county contracts for at the same low price,” McMorrow said. “These cooperatively bid items can include gasoline, rock salt deer carcass removal and a whole host of other important services and commodities.”
Other cooperatively bid items can be found at www.visitmonmouth.com on the Purchasing Department’s Web page.
County officials have been working with a state-funded consultant, Government Strategy Group, to develop a shared services plan. The county is currently developing modifications to its Web site that will enable governmental partners and citizens to obtain shared services information and ideas. These modifications were requested during the regional seminars and will be implemented soon.
The county also is in the process of obtaining a state grant to conduct a feasibility study for animal control and shelter services.
“Sharing services among various governmental agencies in the county is something we must do, especially in these difficult economic times so that we all maximize our tax dollars,” Clifton said. “We have to turn this challenge into an opportunity, and I am confident we will be able to do that.”
McMorrow debunked a common myth that sharing services means less services, a belief that has been a roadblock to progress.
“It doesn’t mean fewer services; it means more efficient services,” she said. “These changes will not occur overnight, but we should be planning for it now. It means as people retire you may not have to replace them. You’re not diminishing the quality of service at all.”
John Ciufo, administrative department director of Planning and Economic Development for the county, who has been spearheading this project for the Board of Chosen Freeholders, said Government Strategy Group will be making a presentation to the Board in the coming months.
“We are making great progress and we are at a point now where we can begin showing our governmental partners how entering into these sharing agreements will benefit them in the long run,” Ciufo said. “Utilizing the power of the Web is key to our success, so I want to make sure people look for that in the very near future.”
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