Atlantic County municipalities use LEAP grants to expand shared services and cut costs

Several municipalities in Atlantic County said Local Efficiency Achievement Program grants awarded by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs helped them fund shared services that saved money and improved operations, Shared Services Coordinator Tim Kreischer said during a county outreach roadshow.

LEAP offers three types of grants, Kreischer said: challenge grants (up to $150,000 per county, maximum three awards per county), implementation grants (covering 75 percent of startup costs up to $400,000) and school consolidation studies (up to $250,000). Kreischer told listeners the program is intended to incentivize shared services among municipalities, school districts, authorities and counties.

The program paid for a range of projects described by local officials during interviews organized by the county.

Pleasantville Mayor Judy Ward described savings tied to a county cooperative purchasing program and training partnerships. "For the past two years, we've been buying from the county, and it saved us $40,000," Ward said, describing fuel purchases through the Atlantic County cooperative. Ward also said Pleasantville partnered with the Atlantic County Utilities Authority to offer Commercial Driver's License training locally after a state testing rule required groups of five to take tests together; the…