In recent years, Mayor Bernie Platt and his administration have increasingly tapped the township’s well-developed departmental infrastructure to create cost savings and revenue through sharing services both inside and outside of Cherry Hill’s borders.
At a public meeting held July 25, township council adopted a resolution that builds upon the township’s successful shared-service and co-operative purchasing agreements by working with Camden County’s Department of Public Works to share the combined equipment and manpower of both agencies.
“When you consider the size and scope of work that is done throughout the year by the county and the township there are a number of ways we can save each other money. An agreement like this will give both entities the flexibility to use specialized equipment and manpower that the other has without making significant capital purchases for those products,” Platt said. “It’s what we’re calling a ‘win-win’ — without adding much in the way of cost or effort on our end, we can save money and, in turn, residents tens of thousands of dollars every year.”
Cherry Hill has 260 miles of local roadway, sewer and storm infrastructure that has many needs. This new agreement will give both entities the ability to work together to address challenges and emergent situations without paying private contractors and create a payment method for services rendered.
“Saving significant tax dollars on consolidated services is not rocket science,” Platt said. “It’s simply recognizing the cost advantages of the economy of scale.”
