MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of Freeholders tonight introduced county government’s $315.8 million 2020 budget, which will include no tax increase for existing county taxpayers.

The fiscally prudent 2020 budget, approved by a 6-0 vote, will provide enhanced public safety, veterans and social services programs, including efforts to address the opioid epidemic and child daycare needs, plus greater investments in economic development and a continued emphasis on maintaining the county’s road, bridge, and facilities infrastructure.

“We carefully reviewed all aspects of county operations to ensure that we run a modern, efficient and cost-effective county government, and also one that operates with an eye towards fiscal restraint,’’ said Freeholder Director and Budget Committee Chair Deborah Smith. “This budget addresses and expands our financing of critical services while not increasing the county tax rate.’’

“This budget incorporates all of the current critical needs of our county residents while also taking a far-reaching look at the county’s future,’’ said Freeholder and Budget Committee member Kathy DeFillippo.

“Through the 2020 budget, our county will continue to be the Number One place in New Jersey to live, work, and raise a family,’’ said Freeholder and Budget Committee member John Krickus.

“It also ensures that Morris County remains THE infrastructure leader in New Jersey by continuing major investments in county roads and bridges, the county college, school of technology, county parks, and our excellent public safety and communications systems,’’ said Freeholder Krickus.

The proposed 2020 county budget supports countywide economic development, protects the county’s top-ranked Triple A bond rating, and preserves a stable level of fund balance required for well-run county governments.

Also, the freeholders are continuing the county’s voter-approved preservation trust fund that finances open space, farmland and historic preservation projects, and provides funding for recreational trails and flood mitigation.

Some new and expanded programs, to be done through partnerships, include:

• Expanded Morris County EMS Initiative to add a fifth Basic Life Support EMS unit for as-needed backup emergency response service to all 39 Morris County municipalities;
• Increased staffing in the Morris County Veterans’ Services Office;
• Allocation of $200,000 to fund aerial spraying for mosquito control in response to a shortfall in the state budget;
• Roll out of the STAR (Successful Transition and Reentry) Program, which is a partnership with the Sheriff’s Office, court system, and county Human Services Department that addresses criminal recidivism – helping to improve public safety;
• Expanded investments in community based Human Services programs to address the needs of chronically mentally ill residents by financing the Safe Haven program;
• Allocation of funds to absorb 2020 cost increases to towns for the county run Municipal 911 Emergency Dispatch System;
• Expanded social services assistance by creating enhanced out-stationing in the Dover area, and also by purchasing a new vehicle for the Sheriff’s Hope One Program that targets the opioid epidemic;
• Entering into a partnership with Head Start of Morris County to double the capacity of child daycare services for at-risk families in the greater Morristown area, with a new center expected to open in September;
• Expanding investment in economic development with $150,000 in additional funding.

Capital Budget: The 2020 budget authorizes $38.3 million in county funds ($52.9 million combined with state and federal grants) to responsibly deal with critical infrastructure needs, including county roads and bridges; public safety technology and security enhancements; parks, education and building maintenance needs.

The capital budget, created by a subcommittee including Freeholders John Krickus, Tom Mastrangelo, and Stephen Shaw includes:

$23 million is dedicated for roads, bridges, railroads, and environmental cleanup, including:

• Resurfacing of 32.6 miles of county roads in 16 municipalities, including Kinnelon Road in Kinnelon, Mt. Hope Avenue in Rockaway Township, Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park, and Long Hill Road in Harding and Long Hill townships;
• Bridge and culvert projects, including Berkshire Valley Road in Jefferson, Parsippany Road over Troy Brook in Parsippany, and Schooley’s Mountain Road over the Raritan River in Washington Township;

Some other major capital funding:

• $9.3 million for County College of Morris and Morris County School of Technology campus upgrades;
• $8.7 million for county facility projects and upgrades;
• $7.8 million for law enforcement;
• $2.4 million for Information Technology equipment and upgrades, and maintenance vehicles;
• $1.7 million: Park Commission improvements.

The freeholders will consider adoption of their operating budget at the Wednesday, March 11 meeting at 7:00 p.m. in Morristown.

Click here to view the county’s 2020 proposed budget.

Click here to view PowerPoint presentation of the proposed 2020 operating and capital budgets.

Click here to view previous years’ county budgets.

PARSIPPANY — Assemblyman Jay Webber announced he will introduce legislation that would require local school districts to implement best practices and expand the authority of the state auditor to ensure safeguards against fraud and abuse in New Jersey’s education system.

The results of recent state auditor assessments of school districts in Pemberton and Ridgefield Park highlight the importance of the legislation.

“Our school children, parents, taxpayers, and educators all have great stakes in the best and most efficient use of  our educational resources,” said Webber (R-Morris). “The state auditor consistently finds, however, that through carelessness or worse, school districts all too often waste that money. Laptop computers disappear. Health insurance bought for the wrong people. Failures to perform basic criminal background checks. New Jersey needs to beef up its ability to review and monitor our schools, and we need to do it now.”

The investigation of Pemberton schools revealed that administrators purchased 703 extra Chromebooks beyond the total teacher and student population, costing taxpayers $313,000. In addition, district administrators could not account for where they went. In Ridgefield Park, the auditor uncovered $3.6 million in unnecessary health insurance liabilities and multiple conflicts of interest on the part of school board members.

The New Jersey state auditor, an independent agency within the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services, conducts random, in-depth performance audits of school districts. A performance audit targets and analyzes how well a government institution is allocating resources and then prescribes corrective action for identified failures.

“A performance audit may be the only current vehicle that evaluates the actual performance of government institutions, and we should be looking to expand it for that very reason,” continued Webber. “It is a more powerful tool to identify waste and fraud than routine fiscal audits. Students and taxpayers are the ultimate beneficiaries of the corrective actions from these audits.”

Assemblyman Webber’s legislation will direct the state auditor’s office to release a compendium report based on past audits. The report will include a collection of past problems identified in school districts, as well as the best practices to avoid problems encountered in other districts. Each school district will have to affirmatively certify that they are in compliance with those best practices, and the state auditor’s office will have the authority to conduct further audits on school districts to ensure all are in compliance.

MORRIS COUNTY — Tayfun Selen of Chatham Township has taken his oath of office as Morris County’s newest member of the Board of Freeholders, and participated in his first meetings on Monday, joining in a county governing board work session and public meeting.

Selen, a 19-year resident of the Chathams, is a Turkish immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1996 and worked his way up from pumping gas in Madison to serving as a successful business executive, mayor and now county freeholder.

He was elected by the County Republican Committee on February 1 to replace Freeholder Heather Darling, who stepped down at the end of the year after winning election as the new Morris County Surrogate.

“Morris County has been a great place to live and raise a child and, eventually, a place to retire,’’ said Freeholder Selen.  “I want to continue giving back to the nation that gave me the greatest opportunity of my life. I am ready to work hard as your freeholder.’’

Freeholder Selen is married with one daughter and has lived in the Morris County for the past 23 years.

He quietly took the oath of office for freeholder on February 10 so he could participate in this week’s meetings. He will have a ceremonial swearing in on February 26 at the Freeholder Board meeting in Morristown, where Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce will administer the oath of office.

Freeholder Selen is Senior Vice President of Administration for Lincoln Educational Services, which is the leading vocational training school group in the nation, with a presence in the 15 states. He is a member of the company’s Executive Team.

Prior to his role at Lincoln, he served as Global Director of Project Management for CB Richard Ellis, which is the largest real estate development company in the nation. In that role, he oversaw real estate functions for Hertz Corporation and Bank of America.

He also was Vice President of New Store Development for CB Richard Ellis and served as Assistant Managing Director at Montclair State University.

The new freeholder says he strongly believes in community engagement. He has served as a member of the Chatham Zoning Board of Adjustment, and a member of the Chatham Township Committee and Mayor of Chatham Township.

He also is a member of the Morris County Republican Committee and Chairman of the Chatham Township Republican Committee.

As mayor, Selen said he was responsible for reducing municipal property taxes, helping the township maintain a AAA credit rating, and helped reduce municipal spending by more than $200,000.

Selen has a seat on the Montclair State University School of Business Advisory Board, New Jersey Board of Nursing, and is President Elect of Madison Rotary Club. He holds Bachelor of Science in Architecture Degree from Istanbul Technical University and an MBA from Montclair State University, and he has achieved certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt from Rutgers University and Lockheed Martin.

In addition, he is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional certified by U.S. Green Building Council, a certified public accountant (CPA), and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from Rutgers University and Lockheed Martin.