WILDWOOD CREST – The borough commissioners have authorized a shared services agreement to provide Stone Harbor with the services of their construction official and certain subcode officials.

At the May 14 commissioners meeting, the board authorized the agreement by a 2-1 vote, with Commissioner Joe Schiff voting against. The resolution identifies Wildwood Crest as the provider and Stone Harbor the recipient of construction and certain code duties. As the provider, Wildwood Crest would provide all ordinary construction code administration and enforcement.

Stone Harbor passed its resolution authorizing the agreement at a May 20 meeting.

According to the agreement, Stone Harbor will pay Wildwood Crest $60,000 in 2025; $106,000 in 2026; $125,000 in 2027; $127,500 in 2028 and $130,050 in 2029.

Schiff did not explain his decision not to support the agreement, but Crest Deputy Mayor Joseph Franco, the commissioner of Public Works, said there were several key reasons why he did. Franco said the agreement would provide new revenue and would allow the hiring of a new full-time person dedicated to the Crest, fully funded through the agreement.

Franco said grant funding will reimburse salaries for the first two years, provide a new vehicle and cover the cost of an updated software system to enable online applications and payments. He said the agreement, combined with the grant, allows Crest residents more efficient access to permit applications and payment options.

“Overall, I strongly believe this is a smart decision for both municipalities,” he said. “This shared service not only benefits Wildwood Crest and Stone Harbor taxpayers but also represents a step forward in modernizing our operations and improving service delivery, rather than remaining tied to outdated processes.”

Wildwood Crest will furnish the services of licensed personnel including the construction code official and building subcode, fire subcode and mechanical subcode officials, and the flood plain manager.

In Stone Harbor, the primary task for borough officials in this year’s budget cycle was to get spending under the state appropriations cap without having to ask Trenton for a waiver. One way of accomplishing that goal was to move expenses – such as those for code officials – that have long been paid out of the municipality’s general fund to budget categories that are not counted in the calculation of the state cap.

The recent retirement of Stone Harbor’s construction official eased the way to shared agreement.

As interim administrator and Chief Financial Officer Cynthia Lindsay explained it at Stone Harbor’s May 20 meeting, the borough was already sharing personnel with Wildwood Crest in that subcode officials worked for both boroughs on a part-time basis.

The new agreement moves the personnel expense to the Wildwood Crest budget and has Stone Harbor paying its share through the service arrangement, a method that is not calculated in the appropriation cap.

For the Stone Harbor customer, Lindsay said, the same individuals are doing the same work they did under the old arrangement. But that person is no longer an employee of Stone Harbor and therefore not part of its cap.

Lindsay added that the Stone Harbor construction office would still be open for services and records, and that borough personnel would still staff that office.

In addition, the council passed a resolution that authorized application to the state for a fiscal year 2025 local efficiency achievement program grant to support the shared services arrangement. The program is a state effort to advance shared services in local governments as a streamlining move across the 564 municipalities.

Wildwood Crest as the lead agency will submit a grant application for $185,000 to support implementation of the shared-service agreement.

Reporter Vince Conti contributed to this article.

Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.