From the South Orange and Maplewood Joint Exploratory Committee:
Monday, July 26, 7:00 pm, SOPAC Auditorium,1 SOPAC Way, South Orange
The South Orange and Maplewood Joint Exploratory Committee on Fire Services is hosting a community meeting on Monday, July 26, 2021, 7pm (immediately following the South Orange Board of Trustees meeting) in the SOPAC auditorium, 1 SOPAC Way, South Orange. This is an in-person meeting will not be broadcast via Webex.
As background, in October 2017, Manitou, Inc. delivered its final report, “An Analysis of the Operational Efficiencies of and the Feasibility of Consolidation, Merger, or Sharing of South Orange and Maplewood’s Municipal Fire Protection Services.”
In late 2020, Manitou was tasked with updating its study to provide timely and fact-based data as the process of planning for a merger of the two agencies continued. The supplemental report documents areas where changes have occurred and provides updates to steps taken toward implementation. The updated report can be found here.
Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee and South Orange Village President Sheena Collum encourage members of the public to attend and contribute to this important shared-services discussion. Feedback following the joint meeting may be mailed to: jointfireservices@southorange.org
About South Orange Village:
South Orange Village, is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. South Orange Village’s governing body is comprised of an elected Board of Trustees consisting of six elected Trustees and an elected Village President, all seven of whom serve four-year terms without any remuneration. Three Trustees are elected biennially. The Honorable Sheena C. Collum serves as the 49th Village President of South Orange Village and is the first female to hold this role in a municipality of over 16,000 residents.
About Maplewood: Maplewood Township, is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey. Maplewood is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor for a one-year term, and another to serve as Deputy Mayor. The current Mayor is Frank McGehee and the Deputy Mayor is Dean Dafis.
