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Borough, township correctly look to streamline police

We traditionally favor streamlining, consolidating and sharing services among municipalities as a means of saving money and improving efficiency by publicly funded entities.

The latest steps being taken regarding police in the Jersey Shore area and Old Lycoming Township are no exception.

The two municipalities have each approved a letter of intent with the state Department of Community and Economic Development for a regional police study between Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department and the township.

Officials of both municipalities are hopeful a regional agreement could offer a means of streamlining law enforcement services and saving costs.

The existing Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department includes Jersey Shore Borough and Porter, Piatt and Nippenose townships and has proven effective for several years.

The study is the first step toward a cooperative agreement between Old Lycoming and Tiadaghton. We suspect it will show what is only logical — streamling like services among municipalities improves efficiency and saves money while not sacrificing quality.

In an era when almost all municipalities are strapped to provide services and taxpayers are strained to pay for those services, it is incumbent on all municipal leaders in our region to explore mergers, consolidations and streamlining of services with each other.

While police protection is the topic in this case, this exploration should include fire services, highway equipment and work and a myriad of other smaller tasks and purchases.

The future fiscal puzzle for smaller municipalities may not be solvable without a more aggressive look in this direction.

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