Atlantic County officials highlight Central Municipal Court consolidation, say program cuts costs and reduces reoffending

Atlantic County officials and service providers on Wednesday described the county'run Central Municipal Court as a cost-saving, justice-diversion model that connects people to social services and, the program''s managers say, prevents many repeat arrests.

The presentation to the Atlantic County Board of Commissioners was led by Mark Sainz, who introduced the court team and invited the assignment judge and service partners to describe the court's work and results.

The court's assignment judge, Michael Blee, said consolidation was created by legislation and has required coordination across municipalities and state agencies. He said the Administrative Office of the Courts has supported the effort and that the Department of Community Affairs has provided grant funding. "With the help of [the Department of Community Affairs] . . . a million dollars was brought back through the DCA to defray some of the costs," Blee said.

Andrea Steinberg, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service, and Ayanna James, director of Justice-Involved Services at Jewish Family Service, described the nonprofit's role operating on-the-ground case management for people who appear in Central Municipal Court. "We typically have between 20 to 25 cases a month, but currently, in the month of January, we have 22," James said. She added that staff provide ongoing case management: "the ladies that are there at central municipal court hold a caseload, and they have done about 87% case management outside of the court."

James also gave outcome numbers the program tracks. "In 2024, 96 percent of the clients that we have have avoided accruing new charges," she said. The court team said that figure is not 100 percent but represents substantial diversion from new offenses for people enrolled in services.

Presenters and commissioners emphasized a second set of claimed savings: lower operating costs after consolidation. The presenters said the combined budget for the courts that joined the county system dropped from about $2.9 million (averaging preconsolidation years) to roughly $1.6 million, a change they described as nearly a 45 percent reduction in operating cost for the municipalities participating.

Law enforcement perspectives were offered by Mike Fedorco, who said consolidation keeps officers on patrol rather than in distant courts. "From a law enforcement perspective . . . this is really a home run," Fedorco said, adding that centralized hearings reduce travel time and free officers for public safety duties.

Officials also credited Sheriff Joe O'Donohue and the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office for competitively bidding security and operations at court sites. That change, presenters said, both saved money and kept services local.

Commissioners asked for more regular, concise reporting. Commissioner Parker said she would like a one-page summary or an annual report with the program's statistics for use when commissioners meet with municipal leaders and constituents. "I would love to see . . . a quick, like, head sheet on on those," Parker said.

Several commissioners also asked whether towns that operate their own municipal programs track the same recidivism metrics. Blee said the Central Municipal Court's partnership with Jewish Family Service includes a case-tracking mechanism, and he said the Administrative Office of the Courts has been encouraging standardized data collection to measure program viability.

Mark Sainz and the court team asked commissioners to talk with mayors and municipal councils in their districts to encourage more towns to join the consolidated court system; presenters said additional participating towns could unlock further state consolidation grants.

The presentation preceded the meeting's consent and contract votes; later on the agenda the board approved a professional services agreement to select municipal public defenders for the Central Municipal Court (Resolution 62 on the agenda). Commissioners said they would circulate a short summary of the court's outcomes on the county website and use it during municipal outreach.

The presentation and discussion included these on-the-record speakers: Michael Blee, Andrea Steinberg, Ayanna James, Mike Fedorco, Mark Sainz, Jerry Del Rosso, Sheriff Joe O'Donohue, Commissioner Jim Bertino, Commissioner Parker and Commissioner Risley.

The board did not take a formal policy vote on consolidation during the presentation; commissioners approved separate resolutions and contracts later in the meeting that implement or support court operations.

The commissioners requested that the court and Jewish Family Service provide a concise annual report with the program's key metrics for the county website and outreach to municipalities. The presenters said they will provide printed summaries and make staff available to accompany commissioners on municipal visits.

Why it matters: County consolidation of municipal court functions alters where cases are heard, which agencies handle prosecution and defense services, and how social services are tied to diversion and supervision. Presenters told the board that Central Municipal Court combines cost savings for municipalities with in-court links to case management, housing assistance applications and diversion that the presenters said reduces reoffending and frees law enforcement to focus on patrol duties.

Ending: Commissioners thanked the presenters and asked staff to post summary materials on the county website; several said they would join outreach visits to municipal officials to promote expansion of the consolidated court model.