Encourages sharing of services; makes appropriations.
What changed between versions
A legislative statement was added describing the bill's full scope: it modifies the Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act (P.L.2007, c.63) and LUARCC law (P.L.2007, c.54) to encourage shared service agreements and joint meeting contracts.
Local units would no longer be required to provide terminal leave payments to employees terminated for economy and efficiency reasons in shared service arrangements.
Provisions preserving tenure rights of police officers under the Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act would be repealed.
LUARCC must conduct at least five on-site consultation sessions in each local unit being studied and must include a savings estimate in every consolidation or shared services proposal.
The Civil Service Commission would no longer be required to review employment reconciliation plans, and certain Title 11A civil service provisions could be relaxed upon request by the parties to an agreement.
The State Treasurer must certify LUARCC's fiscal analysis before a recommendation can be submitted to a municipality, and municipalities gain the right to appeal savings estimates to the Commissioner of Community Affairs.
A municipality must approve a LUARCC shared services recommendation within 14 months and implement it within 28 months. Consolidation recommendations are not binding and carry no penalty for non-implementation.
If a municipality fails to approve a shared services recommendation or does not make a good faith attempt to implement it within the required timeframes, it faces a loss of State aid equal to LUARCC's estimated cost savings. No penalty applies if the failure is due to another local unit's action or inaction.
