Council Considers Outsourcing Animal Control

East Brunswick may be partnering its animal control services with a neighboring municipality, according to a proposal from Monday’s Township Council meeting.

With the township’s lone animal control officer, David Blumig, nearing retirement, Township Administrator James White proposed the idea at Monday’s council meeting, and was given the green light by council members to begin discussions with neighboring Helmetta Township on a possible agreement.

“We have some decisions to make, and this is the way to go. I think we can save the taxpayers some money,” White said.

The decision to enter into a shared services agreement with another municipality is the result of two related issues the township is concerned with in regards to animal control, White said. The first, the retirement of Officer Blumig is what prompted the township to rethink its animal control services department. Blumig is a full-time dispatcher who works overtime during the day as the animal control officer.

In his tenure as the animal control officer, Blumig’s services have cost the township less than that of his predecessors. But without a viable replacement waiting in the wings, the township is being forced to look at alternatives.

Coupled with that, is the process of impoundment, the sheltering of stray animals recovered by the township.

“We are coming very close to losing the ability to house (impounded animals) at the current location where we do,” White said. “This agreement would go hand in hand because we can’t be without a place to take animals.”

The agreement would mean splitting the duties of animal recovery, transportation and impoundment between the two municipalities. Currently, the township spends between $13,000 and $15,000 a year on impounding services, and, according to White, a shared services agreement would cost the township and its members even less money.

White added that he has not yet sat down with officials from Helmetta Township to discuss terms of the deal, but said he was looking for a green light from the council first. He said any deal would only be for one year, to allow for flexibility in future decisions on the issue.

He also said that the option of returning to employing a full time animal control officer is always on the table, should a viable replacement surface in the future.

“The realm of shared services is something I feel very strongly about, and really just the wave of the future now that municipalities are constantly seeing their budget tightening,” Councilman Mike Hughes said. “If it provides a cost savings to the people of East Brunswick without seeing a loss of service, I think it’s truly a win-win for everybody and something we should definitely be looking for.”

Helmetta looks to be the early favorite should any shared services agreement be reached, but Councilwoman Nancy Pinkin questioned whether or not Helmetta is the best option, calling for a more complete survey of any surrounding towns “just to see if there are other options as well that might be equally or more cost effective.”

“It certainly looks like it’s the best option. It’s right there for us, the proximity, it just makes every bit of sense in the world,” said White, noting that it is still very early in the process. “But we’ll certainly look and see how it relates to other municipalities.”