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Politics & Government

Belmar Mayor: Invite Spring Lake Heights to Share Courtroom, Save Money

Doherty proposes sharing municipal courtroom with both Spring Lake and Spring Lake Heights

When it comes to the idea of sharing one municipal courtroom, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty does not think that three’s a crowd.

Both the first-term mayor and borough Administrator Robbin Kirk plan to contact Spring Lake Heights officials about joining as the third party in a new interlocal services agreement to share courtroom space in Belmar starting this fall.

Increasing local courtroom revenues while saving taxpayer dollars in both municipalities is the goal, said Doherty, who announced his proposal during the April 6 Borough Council meeting.

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“We would hopefully start having Spring Lake Heights (hold court) here in about six months,” Doherty said. “The shared services agreement benefits both towns.”

Ironically, if Spring Lake Heights takes Belmar up on its offer and enters that contract, it would once again be sharing a courtroom with Spring Lake. That oceanfront borough is effective Oct. 1.

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 However, Doherty believes all three municipalities can share Belmar’s courtroom and its staff without hiring new employees or incurring unexpected costs that would drive taxes higher.

In short, Belmar, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, and perhaps even one other town can all get along with one municipal court and its staff.

Some residents expressed trepidation about additional expenses—and higher taxes—resulting from having a larger workload placed on Belmar's municipal court employees.

 “Our court can handle the work of four towns,” Doherty told residents during the meeting’s public portion.

Belmar has shared police dispatchers with Spring Lake Heights for about three years with no additional expenses incurred by either town, he pointed out.

With the borough’s 2011 calendar year municipal budget due for introduction at the same meeting, former mayor Ken Pringle warned Doherty not to rely solely on more interlocal contracts for additional revenues.

Spring Lake Heights is now scrambling to find a new municipal court partner, and such a scenario could play out in Belmar as well if one of its contracted parties backs out.

 “Shared services are great, but not necessarily recurring. Spring Lake Heights has learned that,” Pringle told Doherty during the public portion.

Spring Lake’s borough council passed a resolution in late March to end its four-year-old interlocal agreement with Spring Lake Heights effective October 1. 

Belmar and Wall Township are on its short list of potential new partners that Spring Lake Heights is considering to share a municipal court services.

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