Assembly Speaker Emeritus Albio Sires

SIRES: SUCCESS OF NORTH HUDSON FIRE & RESCUE
PROVES SAVINGS CAN BE FOUND IN SHARING SERVICES
Former Speaker Praises Initiative to Promote Greater Local Cooperation;
Points to $40 Million in Property Tax Savings From 5-Town Merger

(WEST NEW YORK) -- Pointing to the success of a five-town fire and rescue service collaboration he helped initiate to forge savings for property taxpayers in northern Hudson County, Assembly Speaker Emeritus Albio Sires today praised the efforts of Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., to promote greater cooperation among municipalities.Sires called Speaker Roberts' shared service initiative -- unveiled at a State House press conference -- "long overdue" in promoting shared services and streamlining laws dealing with interlocal agreements.

"Speaker Roberts should be applauded for promoting service sharing and working to empower towns and citizens so they can achieve real savings and greater efficiency by partnering with their neighbors," said Sires (D-Hudson). "Sharing not only can ensure greater efficiency in providing services, but can generate real savings that can be passed on to property taxpayers."

As mayor of West New York, Sires teamed with officials from four neighboring communities -- Guttenberg, North Bergen, Union City, and Weehawken -- in 1999 to create the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue Agency. At the time, the merger of the towns' separate fire and rescue departments was believed to be the nation's largest-ever regionalization.

Since the merger, state treasury officials have estimated that property taxpayers living in the district served by the agency have saved approximately $40 million.

To create the regional entity, Sires noted that the mayors had to navigate a sea of confusing state laws and regulations, an impediment he noted that may be keeping other towns from exploring similar shared service agreements.

Sires said the plan would eliminate many, if not all, regulatory roadblocks by crafting a uniform statute for regionalization and shared services and removing civil-service barriers that have acted as an impediment to service-sharing.

"The success of the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue Agency can and should be duplicated in communities all across New Jersey," said Sires. "But to achieve this, we must make it easier for towns to come together."

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FOR RELEASE: May 10, 2006

CONTACT: Assemblyman Sires (201) 854-0900
Derek Roseman (609) 292-7065