Brigantine Taxpayers Assn/Brigantine Municipal Building.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – The city will leave the Atlantic County Central Municipal Court at the end of the year and join Brigantine’s Shared Municipal Court starting Jan. 1, 2024. The Board of Commissioners Thursday, Aug. 24 introduced an ordinance forming the agreement, which will be in effect through Dec. 31, 2028.
The agreement is subject to Atlantic County Vicinage Assignment Judge Michael Blee approving the city’s withdrawal from the county system.
“It just didn’t work for us,” Mayor Lance Landgraf said about the county court. “Right now, this is the best opportunity for Ventnor and Brigantine.”
Administrator Thomas Ciccarone said paperwork has been filed to withdraw from the county system, and the city has received “no pushback.”
Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson previously said municipalities have the right to make their own decisions about how they administer justice.
“There are no hard feelings,” Levinson said. “They have every right in the world to pull out, just like they did getting in.”
The Atlantic County Central Municipal Court was the first of its kind in New Jersey. It became operational in January 2022 with nine Atlantic County municipalities participating. Margate and Longport chose other options, but Ventnor was one of the first to join. Since then, other towns have left the Central Court increasing costs for the remaining municipalities.
Ventnor budgeted $285,000 this year for the county court and paid $282,428 to the county last year. There was a cost savings for the city when it switched to the county system. The new agreement has Ventnor paying Brigantine $260,000 for the first year.
Court sessions are held starting 2 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of the month at the Brigantine Municipal Building, 1417 W. Brigantine Ave.
A public hearing on the ordinance codifying the five-year shared services agreement will be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14 at Ventnor City Hall, 6201 Atlantic Ave. or on Zoom.
Copyright Mediawize, LLC 2023
