Merger Dead, West Cape May Creates Singular Court

WEST CAPE MAY — Although a study looked favorably on a merger of the municipal courts of West Cape May, Cape May Point and Cape May as a money saving move, the idea appears dead after Cape May Point chose not to renew an intermunicipal agreement with West Cape May Municipal Court.
Cape May Point has signed an interlocal agreement with Cape May’s municipal court, cutting West Cape May out of the equation.
West Cape May Borough Commission at a Feb. 24 meeting established its own municipal court as of March 1, dissolving the intermunicipal court with the Point. Commissioners approved David S. DeWeese as judge.
West Cape May Mayor Pamela Kaithern said the borough stands to lose about $11,600 from Cape May Point’s departure.
Cape May Point Mayor Carl Schupp told the Herald the move wasn’t so much for a cost savings but to maintain its current level of costs. He called it a “relationship that was not going to get better.”
“We saw no reason to perpetuate it,” said Schupp.
He said the court has always been a financial loss for Cape May Point. Schupp said if the borough received $2,000 per year in income, “it’s amazing.”
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.
During public comment, resident Michael Bean asked if the feasibility study looked favorably in merging the three municipal courts. Kaithern said the study had different scenarios regarding employees and physical space occupied by the court.
Commissioner Peter Burke said the study was nonbinding.
Bean asked if the three towns had entered negotiations. Kaithern said several months after the study was released and attempts to have “sit downs,” the borough was advised Cape May was no longer interested in a intermunicipal court.
Burke said the study was started under a previous administration and city manager in Cape May.
Bean asked if the concept of a three municipality court was dead.
“My personal feeling has always been that the study reflected how we could save money and that we would be best served by the three municipalities sitting down together to discuss what we liked and what we didn’t like about the feasibility study rather than just close the book and say we don’t like it,” said Kaithern.
She said there were benefits for all parties and some compromises probably were possible but the parties were “unwilling to sit down at the table together.”
Burke said Cape May and Cape May Point were keeping separate courts but locating both courts in Cape May. He said Cape May indicated there were not interested in a three town municipal court at this time.
Beginning in 2005, Cape May was investigating merging its municipal court with West Cape May’s court as a cost-saving measure. Moving the court to West Cape May would also open up much needed space in Cape May’s crowded city hall.
Then mayor, Mayor Jerome E. Inderwies, said the county court system was in favor of a consolidation.