S3764

An Act requiring the appointment of county shared services coordinators, supplementing P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-1 et seq.), and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The governing body of a county shall appoint a county shared services coordinator. The requirement that every county shall have a county shared services coordinator may be fulfilled by the sharing of a county shared services coordinator with another county or counties under a shared service agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-1 et seq.).

b. A county shared services coordinator shall be responsible for promoting and facilitating shared service agreements between local units in the county or counties, as the case may be, including the county or counties themselves. Additional duties of the coordinator shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) gather and make available resources on the formation and implementation of shared service agreements;

(2) identify and compile information on existing shared service agreements operative within the county or counties;

(3) identify and make recommendations on opportunities for cost savings through new shared service agreements within the county or counties;

(4) provide assistance to local units within the county or counties with the formation and implementation of shared services agreements;

(5) serve as a liaison between local unit officials within the county or counties and the division and other State officials who can provide specialized technical advice;

(6) compile the contact information of current and former local unit officials within the county or counties who volunteer to be a resource to other local units within the county or counties forming or implementing shared service agreements; and

(7) provide quarterly reports to the director on the coordinator’s initiatives and projects, and progress made toward any goals established by the director, in the previous quarter.

c. A county shared services coordinator shall successfully complete any training course on shared services established by the division within six months of the course’s availability.

d. The division shall provide technical advice and resources to a county shared services coordinator on forming and implementing shared service agreements. Any other State official shall cooperate with a request by a county shared services coordinator for specialized technical advice, including, but not limited to, officials of the Civil Service Commission and the Public Employment Relations Commission.

e. (1) There is established in the division a special nonlapsing fund to be known as the “County Shared Services Coordinator Fund.” The director shall administer the fund to provide, upon application of a county or counties that have appointed a county shared services coordinator, a grant offsetting the cost of the total compensation of the county shared services coordinator, up to a maximum of $95,000 per year per coordinator.

(2) The director may condition the award of a subsequent grant pursuant to this subsection based on compliance with the quarterly reporting requirements of paragraph (7) of subsection b. of this section and whether satisfactory progress has been made toward any goals established by the director.

(3) Any county or counties may elect to provide additional compensation to a county shared services coordinator.

2. There is appropriated from the Property Tax Relief Fund to the “County Shared Services Coordinator Fund” in the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs $2 million for the purpose of funding State grants pursuant to subsection e. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill would require each county to appoint a county shared services coordinator. A county shared services coordinator would be responsible for promoting and facilitating shared service agreements between local governments in the coordinator’s county, including the county itself. Providing a point-person at the local level to encourage and facilitate more shared services between local governments would ultimately help drive down the cost of local government to property taxpayers.

Under the bill, a county could fulfill the requirement of having a county shared services coordinator by entering into a shared service agreement with another county or counties to share a county shared services coordinator.

The bill requires each county shared services coordinator to complete any training course on shared services established by the division within six months of the course’s availability.

The Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) in the Department of Community Affairs would serve as a resource to support the work of a county shared services coordinator. Other State officials would be required to cooperate with a request by a county shared services coordinator for specialized technical advice.

The bill provides State grants to cover the total compensation costs of the county shared services coordinators, up to a maximum of $95,000 per year per coordinator. The director of DLGS may condition the award of future grants on compliance with reporting requirements and whether satisfactory progress has been made toward any goals established by the director. The bill makes an appropriation of $2 million to fund these grants.