What Happened?
Many court systems are considering shared services agreements or consolidations to improve efficiency while eliminating redundant costs.
Juvenile Detainees
Union and Hudson counties in New Jersey are currently negotiating a potential shared services agreement that would save taxpayer dollars without sacrificing quality of service to residents. The shared services proposal calls for Union County to hold all juvenile detainees from Hudson County in its facility. The 70,000-square-foot Juvenile Detention Center in Linden would receive all transfers from Hudson’s Secaucus facility, My Central Jersey reported.
According to estimates, the shared services agreement would bring more than $2.1 million annually to Union in payment for holding the juvenile detainees, while Hudson anticipates saving $5 million. In the first year of the contract, Hudson would pay Union $230 a day for each juvenile detainee being held. In the second year, that total would increase to $240 a day for at least 20 juveniles, My Central Jersey reported.
Red Light Cameras
Elsewhere in New Jersey, the Pohatcong courts reported having extra capacity ever since the region’s red light camera program came to an end, which is good news for the financially-strapped municipal court in Greenwich Township. Greenwich Township’s municipal court has agreed to share services with Pohatcong Township’s court to make better use of available resources, LeHigh Valley Live reported.
Under the proposal, Greenwich will pay Pohatcong $15,000 annually to operate its municipal court using Pohatcong’s prosecutor, public defender and court administrators. In the first two years of the agreement, Greenwich will receive 60 percent and Pohatcong will take 40 percent of the revenues beyond the $15,000 payment. In the third year, all profits will be divided equally between the townships. Each year the minimum fee paid to Pohatcong will increase by 2 percent, LeHigh Valley Live reported.
Pohatcong hired two full-time employees and a part-time violations clerk to handle an influx in cases when the red light camera program first launched. These employees are now available to help with some of the Greenwich court case load, LeHigh Valley Live reported.
NJ Sets The Tone
The state of New Jersey launched an initiative in 2010 to encourage municipal courts to share services or consolidate whenever possible to increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary costs. The court consolidation strategy offers four steps for establishing a joint or shared court between municipalities:
- Explore ideas on how best to share services or consolidate courts
- Fine tune the details on how the new court system will operate, what changes will be made
- Draft and vote on shared services or consolidation agreements
- Implement the new strategy with ample time for adjustments
The plan recommends municipalities take time before diving into a shared services agreement to research all possible strategies and iron out the specifics. Historically, a shared services agreement or consolidation policy is most effective between a limited number of courts and for a predetermined period of time.
Court is a Team Sport
Gov1 has reported on a variety of shared services projects that impact more than just the court system.