Spring Lake Heights Municipal Court Moving to Wall

To save borough taxpayers an estimated $80,000 yearly, Spring Lake Heights will soon move its municipal court functions to Wall Township.

But Democratic Councilman John P. Brennan Jr. says the borough council's 4-2 decision along party lines to enter the shared services agreement with Wall effectively ends municipal court as Spring Lake Heights as residents have come to know it.

"I see our the municipal court of Spring Lake Heights as a seminal instrument of our borough, " Brennan said during discussion on the resolution prior to the council's vote Monday night.

An attorney who regularly appears before municipal and county courts, Brennan attempted to thwart the GOP-supported effort to enter the contract. The money saved by the borough would be minimal, he said.

 "I know the reputation that the municipal court of Spring Lake Heights enjoys. We have one of the most efficient municipal courts in the state" Brennan said.

"I personally feel that the citizens would not support even this [agreement] even with the most modest savings," Brennan went on. "Are we so poor a community that we can't even have our own municipal court? I think it is a dishonor to the community."

The savings will eventually show up in borough taxpayers' bills according to GOP Councilman Richard Diver, who introduced the resolution to enter the arrangement. Spring Lake Heights now pays about $160,000 annually to hold court locally, Diver told The Patch.

That amount includes charges for a judge, prosecutor, administrator, supplies and the use of the courtroom itself, Diver said.

Under the shared services contract, the borough will pay Wall $55,000 yearly to use the township's courtroom. That amount does not cover the cost of a judge or prosecutor, Diver acknowledged.

"That's a separate issue," Diver told Mayor Frances Enright when she questioned the costs of a judge and prosecutor.

Once all those costs are added in, Diver estimates that holding court in Wall will amount to about $80,000 yearly or about half of what the borough now pays to hold court at home.

Until recently, Spring Lake Heights had reaped $100,000 annually from Spring Lake under its shared services agreement allowing that municipality to use the former's courtroom. However, earlier this year, Spring Lake ended that arrangement and moved to Belmar's courtroom.

Municipal court costs as much now as it did when Spring Lake was on board said GOP Councilwoman Patty Cindea.

"We have the same expenses," she said.

The documents that outlined the agreement did not provide sufficient information for council members to make an informed decision according to Enright and Councilman Thomas Vorbach. During discussion, the two Democrats protested against voting on the resoultion until all their questions were answered. Vorbach unsuccessfully tried to table the resolution until council members could review all documentation.

 "It would be fiduciary malpractice to vote on something without all the information," Vorbach said before voting against the resolution.

All the information had been presented in the council's executive session on April 11, Diver told Enright and Vorbach.

After the vote, Enright questioned whether Fred Raffetto, the attorney who drew up the resolution, had been authorized to work on the shared services matter under his current contract.

Because current Borough Attorney John Lane holds the same post in Wall, Raffetto, the former borough attorney, crafted the shared services agreement under the contract agreed to earlier this year, Diver said.

Raffetto who was present at the meeting, agreed to show a contract to Enright.

"Our CFO received a bill from Mr. Raffetto," Enright said. "She said she couldn't pay it because he doesn't have a contract."

With the approved resolution, Spring Lake Heights joins nearby Sea Girt in sharing Wall Township's courtroom.