5-Year Pact for County to Provide Health Services to Morristown

In a cost-cutting move for Morristown, the municipality has agreed to a shared services contract for the next five years that will provide health services to residents by the county.

The Morris County Board of Freeholders approved the agreement, which will save Morristown $575,000 over the next half decade, according to the county.

Morristown becomes the fourth municipality in the county to enter into a shared services agreement for health services with the county. Morris Plains, Boonton Township and Denville are the others.

“The freeholders have always said we are committed to sharing services with our municipalities and with other counties if it saves money for taxpayers,” said Freeholder Director Tom Mastrangelo in a statement. “This shared services agreement with Morristown does that.”

Under the agreement the county will supplement Morristown’s existing staff with personnel from the county’s Office of Health Management. Running through 2018, Morristown will pay the county $131,654.72 this year, with that figure escalating slightly each year until the final payment of $142,506.77.

Morristown’s health officer retired in 2013, the county said. Services provided by the county include public health administration; health education; public health emergency preparedness response and planning; and public health nursing supervision.