Woodbridge officials review 2025 budget; police propose becoming licensed EMS provider amid coverage gaps

Woodbridge Township councilors spent their hearing on detailed line‑item questions and a notable operational shift proposed by the police department.

Police Director Nispi told council members the township averages about 1,100 EMS calls a month and relies on mutual aid. He said one of the township’s first‑aid squads has been “either unwilling or unable to provide coverage,” creating a potential gap in daily ambulance availability. To address that shortfall, the department plans to seek New Jersey state licensing as an emergency medical services provider and budget to staff and operate at least one ambulance initially to be dispatched from Ford’s Fire Department. Directors said the arrangement would be reassessed at the end of the calendar year to determine whether to continue or expand the program.

Nispi also outlined target response standards: dispatch within 90 seconds, ambulance in motion within 90 seconds of dispatch, and arrival on scene within eight minutes. He said outside‑services costs for EMS include charting and billing platforms and insurance through the township’s joint insurance fund.

Across departments, councilors probed recurring variances between requested and actual spending. A clerical miscode accounted for an apparent zeroed‑out entry for in‑car and body cameras in the police budget, officials said; the copier lease line had been mistakenly placed in the wrong category. The police department explained a roughly $100,000 signage line as a transfer of responsibility for township signage from the municipal engineer to the police department, covering replacement of aged or noncompliant signs.

Human resources and finance officials described a larger “other outside services” request tied to an enterprise rollout of ADP to handle onboarding, time and attendance and payroll integration for multiple departments. Information‑systems director Scott Kuzma said higher telephone expense lines reflect a move from traditional phone lines to a Mitel voice‑over‑Internet system and that a planned UPS replacement and penetration test drove increases in electrical and professional services accounts.

Public works and utilities leaders defended increases in sewer and pump‑station maintenance as responses to deferred capital work and the high cost of emergency repairs. Wastewater staff noted 22 pump stations and said some assets upgraded with capital funds now require increased maintenance budgets. Sanitation staff said the ‘other materials’ budget covers cyclical purchases such as municipal leaf bags.

Library staff reported growing demand for electronic resources and said about $250,000 is being spent on e‑books, audiobooks and databases that also serve school users. Health department leaders said the township’s donated health mobile has performed more than 3,500 screenings and that rising pharmaceutical costs reflect the transition from pandemic‑era grants to routine vaccine procurement.

Council moved and approved procedural items — including introduction of two ordinances for first reading (one to exceed appropriations to establish a cat bank and another adjusting salary schedules) and six resolutions — and recessed before resuming line‑by‑line reviews. The meeting ended with thanks to department heads and no final budget vote recorded at the session; the council scheduled a public hearing for the ordinances on Sept. 10, 2024.

The council’s next procedural step is the advertised public hearing on Sept. 10; the hearing transcript shows multiple requests by council members for follow‑up clarifications on timing, coding of line items and expected outcomes of the EMS licensing process.