Resident urges Camden County to rescind resolution opposing state review of privatization contracts

A Camden County resident told commissioners on Thursday she believed a recently passed county resolution opposing proposed state review of privatization contracts was "pro‑privatization" and asked the board to rescind it.

Why it matters: The resolution was sent to clerks of boards of county commissioners in all 21 New Jersey counties, the resident said, and she called for state oversight of privatization plans rather than the county's stated opposition.

At the public-comment portion of the meeting, Kate Delaney of Collingswood criticized the board's resolution opposing Assembly Bill 919 and Senate Bill 1518 (described in public comment as proposals concerning state review of privatization contracts). Delaney said the county resolution's language suggested privatization would reduce wages and benefits and called the measure "offensive." She urged the board to rescind the resolution and to support oversight by the Office of the State Comptroller.

"It would create an overly burdensome adversarial and an unnecessary level of bureaucracy by requiring the office of the state comptroller to review and approve privatization contracts," Delaney said she read from the county document and then countered that "Oversight is a good thing." She told the board she had heard reactions from Trenton officials who were "aghast" the county had passed the resolution.

Director Cappelli responded, "We will take that under consideration," and the board did not take further action at the meeting. The transcript shows the resolution was already passed at a prior meeting and circulated to other counties; Delaney's remarks were recorded as public comment and not followed by a board vote to rescind or amend the resolution.

The board did not schedule a formal response or a public vote on rescission at the meeting; commissioners encouraged the resident's comments to be considered in future deliberations.