Lake Como, which has a population of 1,800, had announced in October that, due to budget restraints, having its own police department was no longer feasible. Watch video
LAKE COMO -- Officials in this tiny Jersey Shore borough won't have a hard time figuring out who will take over its police services.
That's because Belmar was the only municipality to submit a proposal to take over policing duties in Lake Como, a borough of 1,800 nestled between Belmar, Spring Lake and Wall Township.
The borough had announced in October that, due to budget restraints, having its own police department was no longer feasible.
Belmar appeared to be the likeliest candidate, considering the borough already handled Lake Como's court, code enforcement and dispatch for police, fire and first aid squads.
Officials in Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Wall also did not express interest in submitting a proposal in October.
The proposal from Belmar was submitted on Nov. 16. Officials in both boroughs had a meeting to discuss logistics and will have a meeting with the state on Thursday, said Louise Mekosh, borough clerk and administrator for Lake Como.
"Belmar and Lake Como are adjacent towns with similar public service needs and Belmar is well positioned to assist Lake Como with their public safety," the proposal states.
Lake Como Mayor Brian Wilton said in October that the decision to cut the borough's 10-member police department was "not an easy pill to swallow," but a necessary one to keep within the state's 2 percent levy tax increase cap.
Roughly $1.4 million of the projected $3.3 million budget for 2016 was set aside for police services. But that number swelled to around $1.9 million when factoring in social security, pension payments, overtime and operating costs.
Wilton told NJ Advance Media last week that they could have negotiated directly with Belmar but wanted to keep the process "as transparent as possible."
"It just so happened that Belmar was the only one to express interest," he said.
Belmar is requesting a five-year initial contract term with two renewal options for 10 years.
The proposal does not include a dollar amount for how much Belmar would charge to take over the services. That figure will be decided after meetings with officials in both boroughs and the state, the proposal states.
Wilton said a final budget for 2016 will have to be finalized by March.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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