Old Bridge approves building dept. takeover South River construction office to be disbanded BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer "People talk about shared services all the time, but this is one concrete [instance] where at the end of the day it is better for both municipalities." - Jim Phillip Mayor South River will disband its building department and Old Bridge will take over its services, pending state approval of the towns' interlocal agreement. A split South River Borough Council approved the shared-services agreement last month, and the Old Bridge Township Council followed suit by voting in favor of it last week. "The only thing that they are waiting on is the approval of the DCA [state Department of Community Affairs]," said Mayor Jim Phillips, who signed off on the agreement. "We are good to go now. We have the fee schedules in place. It has all been worked out with South River." Once the DCA approves the agreement, a date will be set for Old Bridge to take over new building applications and inspections. Any application submitted prior to that date will be handled in-house until it is completed. The agreement was met with criticism from some South River residents, who expressed concerns about the idea at a Borough Council meeting last month. Republicans, who make up half the six-member South River council, opposed the agreement, but Democratic Mayor Robert Szegeti broke the council's 3-3 tie by voting in favor. South River residents will pay the same fees that Old Bridge residents pay for building inspections, according to Phillips, who said that the same certified inspectors will serve both municipalities. South River Business Administrator Andrew Salerno has said that under the four-year agreement, construction permit applications will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of whether the applicant is from South River or Old Bridge. While residents may have to go to the Old Bridge municipal offices on Route 516 to get permits, it will be possible for the permits to be sent to borough hall in South River as well. At present, South River hires third-party, part-time employees to do inspections. Phillips noted that Old Bridge has full-time township employees to do the work. South River Construction Official David Wroblewski will be laid off as a result of the changes, but the borough will retain a full-time secretary in that department, Szegeti said. South River Council President David Sliker, a Democrat, has said that the governing body cannot hire additional full-time inspectors due to budgetary constraints imposed by the state. He said the agreement with Old Bridge is a way of getting additional workers without adding another cost to the borough's budget. Old Bridge will receive a portion of the money from construction and permit fees paid by South River applicants. "People talk about shared services all the time," Phillips said, "but this is one concrete [instance] where at the end of the day it is better for both municipalities." "In a matter of six months' time, this whole transition will be seamless," Phillips added. "Nobody knows the name of the subcode official who comes to do the work, as long as it gets done in a timely fashion." South River Councilman Raymond Eppinger, a Republican, said there are better ways that the borough could have addressed issues with backlogging in the building department. "I don't see how this in any way, shape or form benefits the residents of South River," Eppinger said. "We are not going to save money, it is an inconvenience. "We have third-party people who are licensed electrical and plumbing inspectors," Eppinger added. "We subcontract to them already." Rather than disband the department, Eppinger thinks the borough would be better served by putting money earned from increased constructions fees toward getting more hours of service out of the third-party inspectors. He added that the department is supposed to be self-sustaining, generating enough income to run itself. Szegeti disagreed, saying that the interlocal agreement will expand services for South River residents. "I don't believe that the increase in the fees would cover all of the salaries for our part-timers to become full-timers," Szegeti said. Eppinger said he does not believe Old Bridge will be able to provide better service on the basis that it is a larger municipality. "I don't support [the agreement], but I do hope it works out for everybody in South River," Eppinger said. "But I don't see logistically how this is the right direction. There were other avenues we could have taken to address the supposed backlog." Szegeti hopes the new agreement will take effect by Oct. 1. He hopes to soon have DCA approval. "I would hope [the borough receives approval] shortly or in the next couple of weeks," Szegeti said. "I'm happy that [Old Bridge] agreed to it," Szegeti said. "Shared services are becoming the way of the future. Both in the state and locally, communities are finding it is more beneficial to have joint services and there is a reduction in cost to individual municipalities."