October 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 11 Midland Park Construction department merger on the table by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus and Midland Park have been discussing the possibility of merging the two boroughs’ construction departments, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Council could approve the shared-service legal agreement at its Nov. 12 combina- tion work/public session. Midland Park’s approval would follow. Last week, the Ho-Ho-Kus Council approved a resolu- tion authorizing Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Attorney David Bole to prepare the shared-service legal agreement in conjunc- tion with Midland Park Borough Attorney Robert Regan. According to that resolution, the agreement would be up for “consideration by and approval of the governing body of Ho-Ho-Kus at the mayor and council meeting of Nov. 12, 2013.” A Ho-Ho-Kus official said the merger was being pur- sued in the interest of economy and efficiency, but declined to provide any detailed information. The Ho-Ho-Kus resolution states that all New Jersey municipalities, particularly those with fewer than 5,000 residents, have been authorized and encouraged to enter into shared-service agreements. In addition, the resolu- tion notes that the annual Best Practices Survey that is distributed to New Jersey municipalities asks if municipal officials have actively negotiated and entered into at least one new shared-service agreement – “a negative answer to which could result in a reduction in state aid.” The document further states, “(T)wo municipalities within the NW Bergen Shared Services Group, of which the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus is a member, approached Ho-Ho- Kus with the proposal of a merger of construction depart- ments, initiating an investigation into such a possibility by the borough administrator and the chief financial officer and…a review of this possibility was conducted in depth over a period of many weeks with the Borough of Midland Park, with which the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus already has two inter-local agreements (the purchase of gasoline/diesel fuel from Ho-Ho-Kus by Midland Park, and Midland Park Construction Department services for the elected officials of Ho-Ho-Kus), and after a number of discussions with the mayor, chief financial officer, borough administrator, construction official, and construction department techni- cal assistant of Midland Park, a shared-service agreement based upon improved economy and efficiency seems quite feasible.” In September, Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli said officials from multiple municipalities had con- tacted Ho-Ho-Kus concerning proposals for shared service agreements. The outreach came after a state-level offi- cial stressed that New Jersey is encouraging municipali- ties to pursue inter-local service agreements that involve departmental mergers that will result in reduced costs and increased efficiency. Cirulli said he had spoken with New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Director of Shared Services Nancy Malool, who was addressing a joint meeting of mayors and administrators from the 13 municipalities that belong to the Northwest Bergen Shared Services Group. In addi- tion to Ho-Ho-Kus, that group includes Allendale, Frank- lin Lakes, Glen Rock, Mahwah, Midland Park, Oakland, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, and Wyckoff. In his September report to the Ho-Ho-Kus Council, Cirulli said the director “spoke to us in no uncertain terms about the need to create new shared service agreements on an ongoing basis.” When he told Malool that Ho-Ho-Kus currently participates in 17 shared service agreements, the director clarified that the state is referring to departmen- tal mergers. Cirulli further noted that Malool remarked that “the state feels that no municipality with a population under 5,000 or so should even exist if it is unwilling to create some meaningful inter-local agreements as she had just described.” Former resident pleads not guilty Mark J. Spatucci of Waldwick has entered a not guilty plea in the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Mary Greff, also of the borough. Spatucci was arrested Oct. 24 and arraigned Friday in Superior Court. Judge Liliana DeAvila-Silebi ordered that Spatucci must have no contact with his nine-month-old son. Spatucci has also been charged with abusing and neglect- ing his son by depriving the child of a mother. Assistant County Prosecutor Wayne Mello charged Spatucci with destroying evidence. Spatucci, formerly of Midland Park, was charged with allegedly strangling Greff in her Mary Lane home in the early morning hours of Oct. 23. Their nine-month old son, Mark, was found unharmed in his crib in the bedroom where the body was found. According to County Prosecutor John Molinelli, the investigation revealed that on Wednesday evening, Oct. 23, Spatucci drove to the Greff residence where the victim lived with her parents and her infant son and entered the house through a second floor window. Once in the victim’s bedroom, Spatucci and Greff argued. It is believed the baby and Greff’s parents were sleeping. The argument apparently turned violent, and Spatucci is alleged to have killed Greff and left her lying on her bed. Spatucci then left the Greff residence in the same manner that he entered, unnoticed by the victim’s parents, Molinelli said in a statement. Unaware of the incident, the next morning the Greffs went out and upon their return at 10:50 a.m. found their daughter’s body and called police, the prosecutor said. (continued on page 13)