Point Borough Agrees to Let Point Beach Take Back its Court

The Point Borough Council agreed Tuesday night to an amended contract that will allow Point Beach to move its municipal court operations back to Point Beach Borough Hall.

In a unanimous vote, the council agreed to allow Point Beach to hold its municipal court sessions in its town, while continuing to share the court administrator and staff.

The change was requested by Point Beach after it found the shared services agreement – put in place in 2010 by both towns’ previous council members – cost its police department $20,000 in overtime last year.

Point Beach Police Chief Kevin O’Hara and Lt. Robert Dikun have said the overtime was the result of a state requirement that mandates Point Beach staff the court sessions in Point Borough with full-time, regular police officers, rather than special officers who get paid less, because the Beach’s special officers do not have jurisdiction in Point Borough.

Detectives are used as security officers during municipal court sessions in Point Borough, but "uniformed personnel" must also be used, as per a state requirement, they said.

In Point Borough, on Tuesday night, there was no comment on the issue, either in the public session that preceded the council’s second executive session of the night, or by the council when it voted to approve the amended contract.

Mayor William Schroeder said the change still must be approved by Superior Court Judge Vincent Grasso, sitting in Toms River. Schroeder said he did not know how long it would take for Grasso to act on the amended contract.

Point Borough Business Administrator David Maffei has said the towns had to make sure they provide for expenses such as salaries, manpower, supplies, telephones, equipment, postage and that the change is planned efficiently in amending the agreement, which was initially set for a three-year term.