Deal sought on shared services
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

Michelle Roth

MANALAPAN - Deputy Mayor Michelle Roth said she expects a discussion at tonight's Township Committee meeting to include ways in which the town can cut costs by establishing shared services agreements with the Manal-apan-Englishtown Regional School Dis-trict.

Roth said she and Mayor Andrew Lucas recently met with Board of Education President Anthony Manisero and school board member Joseph DePasquale to begin developing areas in which the two entities can share services.

"We had a very productive session with a lot of ideas and information being exchanged," Roth said, adding that the representatives of both bodies realized that as taxpayers they are all paying the same bills and want to come to an agreement that will allow the municipality and the school district to "reduce expenses on both sides."

Roth said the discussion included having the school district prepare the municipality's payroll. At present, the town pays a private firm to prepare the municipal payroll. The discussion also included the possibility of the municipality taking on the school district's grounds maintenance tasks. Roth said other ideas were also mentioned.

She said school district Business Administrator Joseph Passiment is being looked at to set the process of shared services in motion.

Roth said the meeting between the municipal and school board representatives closed with the promise that Passiment would get back to Township Administrator Tara Lovrich with information municipal officials need in order to prepare the town's budget for 2007.

"We want to do this and intend to vigorously pursue this with the school board and Mr. Passiment," she said.