Bergen County, Fair Lawn Finalize Shared Service Contract

FAIR LAWN, NJ — Bergen County officials authorized a shared service contracts with the Borough of Fair Lawn. The move is the first of its kind for the county, but officials say it likely won't be the last.

The contract calls for the County to provide limited Certified Municipal Engineering services on behalf of Fair Lawn on an as-needed basis for an initial term of three years.

This contract is part of Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco and the Board of Commissioners’ vision of offering county services to Bergen County’s 70 municipalities to increase efficiency and provide savings to taxpayers, according to a news release.

"We are excited to establish another shared service agreement adding Fair Lawn to the long list of towns working with Bergen County," said Commissioner Chairman Steve Tanelli. "Shared services between the County and local municipalities are proven to provide efficient, quality service to our residents while saving taxpayers' money."

The decision allows Fair Lawn to take advantage of the County’s level of experience, and increase their capacity to handle engineering issues. The agreement is the first formal shared service agreement that the County has entered into with a municipality to provide municipal engineering services, and will be revenue generating for the County.

This agreement is made possible by the Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act, which promotes the use of shared services as a way to reduce expenses funded by taxpayers.

The Borough of Fair Lawn has already adopted a resolution in favor (5-0) of this agreement, and the Commissioners' passage of the resolution unanimously allows for county administration to move forward in formalizing the move.

"This new first of a kind certified municipal engineering shared service contract is a great opportunity to work with local leaders in Fair Lawn on behalf of our residents" said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco.

"Aggressively pursuing opportunities to share services and save money has been a top priority [of] my administration and the leadership on the Commissioner Board. We are excited to establish this new engineering shared service with the Borough of Fair Lawn and look forward expanding this service with more Bergen County municipalities for the benefit of the people we serve."

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