CAPE MAY POINT — The borough is ending an agreement that provided a shared municipal court administered by West Cape May and will begin a new agreement with a shared court with Cape May.
At a Jan. 14 meeting, Cape May Point Commission passed an ordinance dissolving its participation with West Cape May’s Municipal Court, temporarily creating a Cape May Point Municipal Court, which will be quickly dissolved and merged into Cape May.
Cape May Point Mayor Carl Schupp said it would save the borough a “substantial amount of money.” An exact figure was not named. Borough Solicitor George Neidig said the final figure would not be available until the agreement was signed with Cape May.
The agreement begins March 1 and lasts seven years.
For decades, Cape May, Cape May Point and West Cape May Point were looking at a possible merger of their municipal courts beyond the West Cape May-Cape May Point shared services agreement. The three towns share Cape May’s police department.
The three towns paid for a feasibility study for one municipal court system three years ago. The report indicated West Cape May should operate a municipal court for the three towns.
Schupp said that idea had gone by the wayside.
West Cape May Mayor Pamela Kaithern told the Herald she was very disappointed that Cape May Point had instead chosen to merge its court with Cape May and the three towns had not sat down and negotiated.
“It makes no sense,” she said.
West Cape May stands to lose about $12,000 in revenue per year as a result of the dissolution.
