Letters: Shared Services Projects Save Towns Hundreds of Thousands Dollars
Friday, October 29, 2010
Shared Services Projects Save Municipalities Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars
Camden County’s PARIS Grant Records Management Projects Produce Savings
Dear Neighbors,
Camden County residents have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars so far and had far easier access to government records, thanks to four Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support (PARIS) Grant shared services projects led by Camden County. This is simply a shared service initiative that makes sense. Camden County has been recognized nationally and within the state as a leader in its records management and retention initiatives and through the PARIS Grant program we are working with municipalities to share our expertise and knowledge.
Camden County was the first County in the State of NJ and in the nation to provide individual records management needs assessment reports for 34 municipalities and a county wide records management shared services report. .
Local municipal leaders face daunting technological and financial challenges in trying to satisfy state mandates regarding records management and retention. While this responsibility remains with municipal governments, Camden County was able to save each of the participating municipalities’ significant money by approaching this shared need as a shared service. There are 18 municipal governments benefiting from this shared services program. The projects, Records Inventory and Reorganization, Microfilming and Digitization of Vital Records, and the inclusion of the 18 municipalities in the County’s Records Information Management System have helped the participants meet State requirements while yielding significant savings for taxpayers.
The 18 municipalities participating in the program are:
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1. Audubon Borough |
10. Haddon Township |
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2. Barrington Borough |
11. Haddonfield Borough |
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3. Bellmawr Borough |
12. Laurel Springs Borough |
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4. Berlin Township |
13. Lawnside Borough |
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5. Brooklawn Borough |
14. Oaklyn Borough |
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6. Chesilhurst Borough |
15. Pennsauken Township |
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7. Clementon Borough |
16. Runnemede Borough |
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8. Gibbsboro Borough |
17. Tavistock Borough |
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9. Haddon Heights Borough |
18. Waterford Township |
Sincerely,
Edward T. McDonnell
Deputy Director
Camden County Freeholder Board