Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Atlantic County and Brigantine Recognized by National League of Cities

Atlantic County and the City of Brigantine have been recognized by the National League of Cities for their entry in the 2004 Innovation in Governance Awards. Their entry, an interlocal agreement to maintain a county road in Brigantine, received honorable mention in the category of Regionalization of Services by Municipalities, presented by the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. The Governance Awards program honors shared services that improve government efficiency and reduce the costs for taxpayers.

The road maintenance agreement allows the City of Brigantine to provide street sweeping and snow removal on Brigantine Boulevard (CR 638), the only county road in the municipality. The county has similar agreements for shared services with Ventnor, Margate and Longport.

According to Levinson, this agreement saves the county time and man hours. "It is much more efficient to have Brigantine add another road to its responsibilities than to send county crews into Brigantine for the sole purpose of maintaining one roadway," he said. "This initiative is another example of government cooperation that enhances our citizens' quality of life."

The county pays Brigantine approximately $11,000 a year to provide these services.

The City of Brigantine also received honorable mention recognition in the category of Shared Services between a Municipality and School District for an agreement that allows the city's Department of Public Works to perform grass cutting, irrigation and snow removal of parking lots in exchange for the Board of Education providing the city with janitorial services.

"The City of Brigantine has worked to establish successful shared services with the county and our local school district," said Brigantine Mayor Philip Guenther. "As a result of these collaborative efforts, taxpayers receive excellent services that are delivered in a cost effective manner."

For more information, please contact Howard J. Kyle, Chief of Staff, at (609) 343-2223.

County News