Murphy Administration Announces $7.5 Million for Next Round of Shared Services Grant Funding

TRENTON, NJ – The Murphy Administration, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and Shared Services Czars today announced that applications are now being accepted for $7.5 million in available funding through the Local Efficiency Achievement Program (LEAP) that was allocated in the fiscal year 2024 state budget.

The LEAP, which is administered by DCA’s Division of Local Government Services (DLGS), provides financial assistance to local government entities such as counties, municipalities, school districts, authorities, and fire districts across the State of New Jersey to identify, study, and implement shared services initiatives. The program is aimed at encouraging towns to streamline their government services to increase efficiency and help save taxpayer dollars.

Former Mayors Nicolas Platt, Harding Township, and Jordan Glatt, City of Summit, who were appointed by Governor Murphy in 2018 to serve as Shared Services Czars, are also available to help guide local governments that are interested in applying to LEAP and are considering a shared service agreement.

“Helping our communities and New Jersey residents achieve savings through shared services is a primary goal of the Murphy Administration and this department,” said DCA Acting Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “LEAP has proven to be very effective at motivating local governments to pursue shared services, with more intensity and urgency, as an option for driving down costs and providing more efficient services.”

“Shared services are proven to be a win-win situation for local governments regarding taxpayer savings. They also help eliminate the stand-alone mindset that hampers collaboration,” said Shared Services Czars Nicolas Platt and Jordan Glatt. “LEAP and the shared service efforts the grants have encouraged throughout the state have already improved the quality and breadth of resources available to residents. They have also allowed many local governments to work together to overcome hurdles to efficiency and taxpayer savings.”

The LEAP is comprised of three primary components: Challenge, Implementation, and County Coordinator Fellowship Grants.

The Challenge Grants promote innovation and collaboration on more expansive projects and levels of participation that produce shared services with increased significance to local communities.

The Implementation Grants support costs associated with the implementation of shared services, consolidation, and school feasibility studies.

The County Coordinator Fellowship Grants support the identification and advancement of shared services opportunities through the hiring of a new employee or designating an existing employee to work with the county and any entity within the county, including local units of government, to identify and advance shared service opportunities. For those counties already employing or engaging coordinators, this grant is still available to supplement the coordinator function.

Since the program launched in December 2019, a total of 96 LEAP grants, amounting to nearly $15 million, have been awarded. With the assistance of the Shared Services Czars, DCA recently helped facilitate and execute the following shared services agreements:

• City of Garfield - Joins Bergen County 911 Dispatch - $400,000
• City of Woodbury and Woodbury Heights - Police Dissolution - $500,000
• Atlantic City - Sharing a Pothole Machine with 4 Municipalities - $400,000
• Jamesburg - Shared Street Sweeping Services with Milltown - $225,000
• Toms River - Shared Service with Island Heights Solid Waste Collection - $171,000
• Seaside Heights - Shared Street Sweeping Machine with Seaside Park- $243,750
• Atlantic County - Purchase of a Portable Traffic Light with 6 Municipalities - $45,000
• Jamesburg - Police and Dispatch Services with Helmetta Borough- $363,327
• North Plainfield - Shared Ladder Truck with Watchung Borough- $400,000
• Point Pleasant Borough - Shared Street Sweeper with Bay Head Borough- $220,713

Eligible entities are invited to apply for grant funds under each of the LEAP Grants: Challenge, Implementation, and County Coordinator Fellowship.

Read more here:Murphy Administration Announces $7.5 Million for Next Round of Shared Services Grant Funding (nj.gov)

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