CNBNews

A number of officials from each town were on hand to present the 2011 Twenty-Yard trash truck.

Purchased jointly, the vehicle, lettered similarly on both sides reflecting each municipality, saves approximately $78.6 thousand in taxpayer funds for both, said Joe Ciano, Bellmawr’s Public Works Superintendent.

Information provided by Ciano indicates the basis of their Shared Services program is to work together to better serve their respective communities, while simultaneously saving tax dollars.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mt. Ephraim has already changed their trash collection schedule, which coincides with Bellmawr’s, to the extent that neither schedule conflicts with the other.

With both boroughs in desperate need of a new collection truck, they were able to come together to purchase the vehicle jointly.

The new truck will be in use in Bellmawr on Mondays and Thursdays, while it can be seen in Mt. Ephraim on Wednesdays and Fridays.

   Other SSA’s (Shared Services Agreements) currently undertaken by Bellmawr, Mr. Ciano said, include a truck wash station used in concert with Barrington, Bellmawr, Mt. Ephraim and Runnemede (the station was constructed at Barrington’s Public Works facility).

  That agreement accomplished a savings of over $45.8 thousand for the partnered boroughs.

  Another venture currently being investigated is the purchase of a salt/brine anti-icing system, which will be applied to road surfaces in ice or snow conditions, and would be entered into by Bellmawr, Gloucester City and Mt. Ephraim.

  In a day and age where virtually no municipality is immune from financial constraints, these shared services agreements create a win-win situation for everyone involved, Ciano said.