I'm amazed how quickly folks are willing to criticize leaders like state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, who has stood tall on the State Police funding issue. Van Drew has taken the high road by offering a bipartisan funding solution to help some 89 rural towns that are served by the State Police.

Van Drew's legislation (S1976) will also help every community in New Jersey that has its own local police department. The administration has repeatedly said that if you want to keep funding in place, find another solution to the problem. Van Drew has done that.

I've heard a lot of complaining about State Police towns paying their fair share, but let's set the record straight. Towns with local police departments don't send the bulk of their ticket-fine money to Trenton.

Most communities in New Jersey get special help from the state in one way or another (beach-replenishment funds and bridge-repair dollars to help shore communities).

I can understand that Trenton wants to make cutbacks and save taxpayers money, but what Trenton has done is create automatic tax increases for 89 towns next year. So before you criticize rural State Police communities or Van Drew, learn all the facts first.

CHUCK CHIARELLO

Mayor

First, this much should be said: Municipalities throughout the state have been hit hard this year. State aid was cut (schools got an increase), pension-fund payments are soaring and, of course, there's the price of gasoline. Small towns have been hit particularly hard, both by state-aid cutbacks and by a requirement that they start paying for State Police protection.

Still, Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew's plan to put a $40 surcharge on moving violations to pay the State Police fees is the wrong approach. Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, proposes to raise a total of $80 million. Half of that would pay for State Police patrols in rural towns. The other half would fund grants for towns with their own police departments - a rather obvious sop to towns that pay both for their own police departments and, through state taxes, for police protection in towns that use State Police

The state this year is charging those 89 small towns an amount that represents no more than $100 per average residential household for police protection, triggering Van Drew's proposal.

We calculated from municipal budgets what taxpayers in a few other towns in Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties pay for police. The costs per average household ranged from about $200 to $400. And those figures did not include the cost of police pensions or capital expenditures like police cars.

So clearly, $100 is a bargain.

It's also clear that most of those 89 towns could never afford their own police force. But those that are contiguous could consider a regional force or, as discussed in Atlantic County, paying the county sheriff for patrols.

Small towns have a few valid concerns: They are understandably wary that this charge could go up steeply in the future. Lawmakers ought to make sure it stays reasonable.

And they are rightly angry that big Democratic strongholds like Camden, which also get State Police help, aren't being charged at all.

We do have sympathy for the heavy hit small towns are taking this year. If lawmakers want to find a way to ease that burden during this transitional period. they should explore a temporary solution. We don't have that answer.

But we do know this: The answer is not a permanent $40 ticket surcharge for what is essentially property-tax relief. That simply represents another Rube Goldberg-like addition to the state's illogical hodgepodge of surcharges, fees, taxes and rebates designed to patch a system that lawmakers are unwilling to fundamentally overhaul.

When Gov. Jon S. Corzine's bare-bones state budget ended free state police protection enjoyed by rural areas since the 1920s, towns didn't raise much ruckus over the new fees.

That was before 89 municipalities recently got billed $12.6 million for state police patrols, sending local officials into sticker shock.

Now, a South Jersey senator wants to alleviate the financial strain on rural communities by funding their state police protection with traffic ticket surcharges.

"I don't believe it will help the non-rural municipalities to raise taxes in the rural municipalities," said Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, the bill sponsor. He said the only way for most towns who rely on state police patrols to pay for the service is to raise local property taxes.

"We're not going to help anybody by increasing taxes to certain communities," he said.

Van Drew's bill would impose a $40 surcharge on all motor vehicle violations to defray the costs of providing local police services.

The bill, introduced in June and referred to the Senate Transportation Committee, would create two funds. One would allocate $5,000 to $1 million in grants to cities and towns that have their own police departments. The other would be used to help pay for full- and part-time state policing in rural communities.

More than $80 million could be generated each year, based on two million tickets issued statewide.

"I am open to any suggestion or idea," said Van Drew. "I'm not locked into this. I don't love surcharges, but I really detest higher property taxes."

Corzine is unlikely to waver, however.

"Gov. Corzine does not intend to support legislation to increase fees on taxpayers across the state to pay for these services," said his spokesman, Sean Darcy. The governor "had a number of tough choices to make in the budget to be able to reduce the budget overall by $3 billion, while also putting money to the side to help pay down New Jersey's debt. This is certainly one of them."

The cost of providing state police protection to rural towns in the northwest and southern part of the state is estimated at $80 million.

Corzine proposed that towns share 25 percent of the cost, about $20.5 million. Municipalities won some relief before the budget was finalized, however, and their contribution was reduced to $12.6 million. Payments are due in June 2009.

The patrols had been free to the towns since the state police was created in 1921 before Corzine decided to begin charging for a portion of the expenditure.

The first bills arrived late last month, along with the choice to pay up or opt out. Decisions are due Dec. 15.

"Most of the towns feel there shouldn't be a charge," said Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello. His town was assessed $499,000 for the patrols, but had the amount reduced to $303,000 because of a hardship clause that caps at $100 the amount in property taxes a household can be assessed for the service.

Chiarello said many of the towns that rely on state police patrols are small and poor, and many have development restrictions that keep their tax base from growing.

"We live in such an uncertain time," he said. "This year, these same towns lost state aid."

Bill Dressel, executive director of the state League of Municipalities, said the future price tag is unknown.

"For 60 years, municipalities received this service free of charge," he said. "Many of them haven't changed that much."

Officials in rural towns fear they'll be asked to shoulder a bigger portion of the costs next year. Treasury spokesman Tom Vincz said the administration isn't looking that far ahead yet.

"This is an effort to provide some fairness and equity in state police services," Vincz said. "We're focused on getting this off the ground."

The league is hosting a meeting Sept. 4 for rural mayors to discuss their concerns.

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Aluminum bleachers at parks in the Collings Lakes section of the township have been stripped of parts for the second time in two weeks, township officials said.

The first incident occurred at Quigley Park, where two sets of aluminum steps where stolen from a large bleacher at the street hockey court. Deputy Mayor Teresa Kelly reported a second theft Saturday morning, saying three rows of aluminum seats were broken off and taken from bleachers at the softball fields on Lake George Drive next to Collings Lakes Elementary School.

"The township is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the responsible party," Mayor Chuck Chiarello said in a news release. "This is a growing problem all over the country with metal products from manhole covers to truck parts being stolen because of high scrap-metal values."

Buena Vista Township Public Works Supervisor Gene Sykes reported the incident to State Police on Saturday and notified area salvage yards. In a temporary move to stop further thefts, bleachers were removed from township parks in Collings Lakes and Newtonville.

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP - Cumberland County Republicans criticized a plan to raise $160 million statewide through a $40 surcharge on fines for motor vehicle violations, calling it just "another tax."

Cumberland County Sheriff Mike Barruzza and freeholder candidates Jim Sauro, Tom Sheppard and Jim Swift said state Sen. Jeff Van Drew's plan to offset $12.5 million in charges for rural State Police patrols with $160 million in surcharges is "outrageous."

"It's an absolutely outrageous proposal," Swift said Thursday during a news conference at Lawrence Township's municipal building. "They need to find a way to spend better, not to find new ways to tax us."

"Don't kid yourself," Sauro added. "This is another tax."

Van Drew's plan calls for a $40 surcharge on motor vehicle violations. All told, it would raise an estimated $160 million for two separate funds, according to the state Office of Legislative Services.

One fund would pay for State Police services to rural municipalities that do not have their own police forces. The other fund would provide grants for property-tax relief to towns with their own police coverage.

Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, proposed the plan so that rural municipalities would not have to pay separately for patrols by the State Police, an organization founded 87 years ago for the purpose of patrolling rural towns. Municipalities received bills last week and have until Dec. 15 to tell the state whether they will pay the fee, establish their own police force or merge services. It will be the first time the state has tried to charge separately for the rural patrols.

Van Drew said he was seeking the larger figure - $160 million - because he expects the state government will seek more money next year. Rural State Police patrols statewide cost $80 million, he said.

The four Republicans said Democrats should focus on cutting state spending and quietly preparing alternatives to high payments for State Police coverage rather than coming up with new charges to New Jersey residents.

Van Drew said he agrees and would rather the $12.5 million be made up in spending cuts elsewhere in the $33 billion budget, but that's not going to happen.

"We've got to live in the real world," Van Drew said.

Sheppard said they are living in the real world, however, and in that world, Cumberland County is the state's poorest county but has one of the state's highest tax rates.

This real-world situation is the reason Barruzza says he has prepared each year for the State Police charges that finally appear to be going into effect next year.

Six years ago, Barruzza developed a plan for his officers to handle policing in the county's 11 rural towns, at the request of representatives of Commercial, Hopewell, Fairfield, Maurice River, Lawrence and Upper Deerfield townships. He has updated it each year.

He said it would cost about $1.2 million to implement the first year and just less than $1 million annually each subsequent year. In contrast, the state has charged Cumberland's 11 rural municipalities nearly $3 million for State Police patrols next year.

Freeholder Director Lou Magazzu has said county sheriffs shouldn't talk aloud about such alternatives because it's admitting weakness to Trenton. Barruzza disagrees, as do his running mates.

"If you look at it, you take a proactive stance, not a reactive stance," Sauro said. "What we're saying is come up with a plan. Make sure it's ready. We're not saying to implement it. But be ready. Give the townships an option."

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Elected officials will hold a press conference Wednesday to announce proposed legislation that offers an alternative to the new charges small towns are asked to pay for State Police coverage.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, organized the event to promote his proposed bill. Also sponsored by Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam, both D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, the bill suggests a $40 surcharge on all motor-vehicle violations and establishes a property-tax relief fund. Both Albano and Milam are set to attend.

The press conference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Buena Vista Township's municipal building on Route 40.

Mayor Chuck Chiarello announced his support for the bill and continues his opposition to the rural police tax.

"We need to send a clear message to Trenton that we will not stand for this unfair burden on our local taxpayers, and that we are willing to support solutions to fix the problem," Chiarello said.

Last week, the State Treasurer sent out bills totalling $12.5 million to rural communities currently covered by State Police.

Senate Majority Leader Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Salem, Gloucester, Cumberland, also will attend. Sens. Jim Whelan D-Atlantic, and Christopher J. Connors R-Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic, were invited. The senators met last week in Estell Manor with mayors from affected communities.

TRENTON - Small towns that will soon have to pay for their State Police patrols hope that drivers who break the law, and not local taxpayers, foot the bill.

Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, is proposing a $40 surcharge on all motor vehicle violations and using the money that's collected - estimated at $160 million - to help municipalities pay for police.

Half of the money would pay for the State Police Rural Patrol Program, which provides full-time and part-time police response to 89 small towns across New Jersey. The other half would be distributed proportionally among municipalities that have with full-time police departments.

Municipalities that used the money for something other than police would be barred from funding for two budget years.

Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam, both D-Cumberland, sponsor companion legislation.

"There is absolutely no way these smaller, rural towns can take this kind of hit and not increase property taxes," said Van Drew, whose district includes five towns that got an estimated bill from the state's Treasury Department last week. "I'm trying to find a solution and this bill is a first step in that direction."

Representatives from some of the affected towns, and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, will rally today in Buena Vista Township, Atlantic County, in support of Van Drew's bill, S-1976.

"From our residents' perspective, this legislation makes sense and is the fairest way to do it. Have the folks that are breaking the law pay for it," said Mayor Ed Zimmerman of Rocky Hill Borough, Somerset County, which uses the State Police.

Proponents want the legislation approved before Dec. 15, when towns must decide if they're staying with the State Police or finding another way to provide police protection.

"It's going to be hard," said Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, who has offered to co-sponsor the measure. "You have to realize it's a numbers game and a lot of these larger towns aren't affected."

Gov. Jon S. Corzine, who doesn't have a position on the legislation, has said the small towns must contribute $12.6 million toward the $80 million it costs the state to provide the rural police patrols. He's described the issue as a matter of fairness since 96 percent of the state's residents pay for their own town's police service as well as service for the state's rural communities.

The New Jersey chapter of the National Motorists Association hopes the measure fails.

A $40 surcharge on a ticket is very expensive, especially in today's economic climate, said Steve Carrellas, the chapter president. He dismissed Zimmerman's argument that the surcharge would only affect lawbreakers.

"It doesn't work that way. Everybody gets a ticket for something along the line," said Carrellas, who noted the surcharge could double traffic ticket fines for technical violations that aren't blatantly dangerous. "It's creating another opportunity for some towns to grab statewide money for their own problems instead of finding real solutions to their high property taxes."

Van Drew said he's willing to consider lowering the proposed surcharge or only assessing it to the most egregious motor vehicle violations as long as the amendments don't lead to increased property taxes in the 89 small towns.

As a backup plan, Van Drew said he intends to press the governor's office and treasury department officials to let local governments keep the money paid on tickets and violations levied by the State Police in their rural towns. That money now goes to the state to help support the cost of the State Police.

"I'm still researching the issue and don't have an exact total, but I can tell you it's a significant amount." Van Drew said.

Speeding tickets could get more expensive.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, is proposing a $40 surcharge on all motor-vehicle violations. Half of the money collected — estimated at $160 million — would be used to help towns pay for State Police patrols.

The other half would be distributed proportionally among municipalities that have full-time police departments. Municipalities that use the money for something other than police would be barred from funding for two budget years.

The controversial legislation comes after towns recently learned they must start paying for the State Police Rural Patrol Program, which provides full-time and part-time police response to 89 small towns across New Jersey.

Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam, both D-Cumberland, sponsor companion legislation.

"There is absolutely no way these smaller, rural towns can take this kind of hit and not increase property taxes," said Van Drew, whose district includes five towns that got an estimated bill from the state Treasury Department last week. "I'm trying to find a solution, and this bill is a first step in that direction."

Representatives from some of the affected towns and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities will rally today in rural Buena Vista, Atlantic County, in support of Van Drew's bill, S-1976.

"From our residents' perspective, this legislation makes sense and is the fairest way to do it. Have the folks that are breaking the law pay for it," said Mayor Ed Zimmerman of Rocky Hill, Somerset County, which uses the State Police.

The New Jersey chapter of the National Motorists Association hopes the measure fails.

A $40 surcharge on a ticket is very expensive, especially in today's economic climate, said Steve Carrellas, the chapter president. He dismissed Zimmerman's argument that the surcharge would only affect lawbreakers.

"It doesn't work that way. Everybody gets a ticket for something along the line," said Carrellas, who noted the surcharge could double traffic-ticket fines for technical violations that aren't blatantly dangerous. "It's creating another opportunity for some towns to grab statewide money for their own problems instead of finding real solutions to their high property taxes."

Proponents want the legislation approved before Dec. 15, when towns must decide whether they will stay with the State Police or find another way to provide police protection.

"It's going to be hard," said Senate Majority Leader Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester, who has offered to co-sponsor the measure. "You have to realize, it's a numbers game and a lot of these larger towns aren't affected."

Gov. Corzine, who doesn't have a position on the legislation, has said the small towns must contribute $12.6 million toward the $80 million it costs the state to provide the rural police patrols. He has described the issue as a matter of fairness since 96 percent of the state's residents pay for their own town's police service as well as service for the state's rural communities.

Van Drew said he's willing to consider lowering the proposed surcharge or only assessing it on the most egregious motor-vehicle violations as long as the amendments don't lead to increased property taxes in the 89 small towns.

As a backup plan, Van Drew said he intends to press the governor's office and state Treasury officials to let local governments keep the money paid on tickets and violations levied by the State Police in their rural towns. That money now goes to the state to help support the cost of the State Police.

"I'm still researching the issue and don't have an exact total, but I can tell you it's a significant amount," Van Drew said.

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Three people were injured when a pickup truck rear-ended an NJ Transit bus Sunday afternoon, State Police said.

The eastbound bus was stopped at milepost 38 on Route 40 at about 2:35 p.m., police said. A Chevrolet pickup driven by Anthony Bucci, 50, of Buena Vista, crashed into the back of the bus.

Bucci was airlifted to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, where he was listed in stable condition with a head injury.

MAYS LANDING - A Buena Vista Township couple who admitted to giving their 7-week-old son a fatal dose of adult medication each were sentenced to seven years in state prison Friday.

Catauga Caldwell, the baby's father, tearfully told Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury he never meant to harm his infant son when he gave him adult-strength, "rapid release" Tylenol and prescription Promethazine, an antihistamine known to cause strong sedative effects on adults.

"I never in a million years thought my son would get hurt by the medications that I gave him," Caldwell said.

Caldwell, 26, a former Army medic and resident of the Collings Lakes section of Buena Vista Township, said he was taking a number of his own medications at the time and "wasn't right in the head" when he combined the medications for his son.

"He was crying, and I felt bad for him," Caldwell said. "So I gave him medicine to make him feel better not to kill him."

Caldwell pleaded guilty in May to manslaughter, a second-degree crime, admitting during the plea that between April 19 and April 20 of 2007 he gave his baby, Demetrius, his prescription medication and Tylenol. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Caldwell's attorney, Robert Boney Jr., said his client has suffered severely and has broken down several times since his son's death.

"This has been a tragedy all the way around," Boney said.

The infant's mother, Melyssa Caldwell, 22, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, also a second-degree crime. She admitted during the plea that she and her husband gave their baby adult-prescription Promethazine when they knew they should not have done so. Melyssa Caldwell's offense is not subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning she does not have to serve 85 percent of her sentence before parole eligibility.

Neither Catauga nor Melyssa Caldwell has a prior criminal record. They also have a 3-year-old son, Nathan.

But Assistant Prosecutor Pamela D'Arcy, who represented the state, said a series of events makes the killing even more difficult to understand. The Caldwells brought their baby to the hospital for a broken arm six days before he died, she said, and the explanation behind why the baby was hurt did not make sense. The state Division of Youth and Family Services investigated the incident.

D'Arcy said hospital staff told the Caldwells to take the infant to a pediatric orthopedist to set the arm properly, but they never did so. Hospital staff also directed the Caldwells to give the baby infant-strength Tylenol for five days.

D'Arcy said the home the children lived in was filthy. The baby slept on dirty crib sheets and blankets, she said.

"I wish I could show this courtroom pictures of the room the Caldwells lived in," D'Arcy said.

"This was a reckless act, your honor," D'Arcy said. "It was the two of them that did not seek medical treatment."

Melyssa Caldwell, who sobbed as she approached the defendants' table for sentencing, was too emotional to address the judge. DeLury asked her if she need some time to compose herself, but she shook her head, "no."

Melyssa Caldwell's attorney, Anthony Previti, said his client was a young mother who tried to help her baby. Melyssa Caldwell was at work when the baby broke his arm, Previti said.

"The headlines are going to say she is a bad mother," Previti said. "But people need to know that she tried to do the right thing."

On April 20, 2007, New Jersey State Police received a 911 call for an unresponsive child and responded to the Caldwells' Cedar Lake Drive home. Atlantic County Medical Examiner Dr. Hydow Park performed the autopsy and determined the infant died of Promethazine intoxication. The baby also had alcohol in his system, D'Arcy revealed in court Friday. D'Arcy said the infant was foaming at the mouth when authorities arrived at the home.

Authorities arrested the Caldwells in November 2007.

Relatives of Catauga and Melyssa Caldwell filled two rows of the courtroom Friday. Sandra Caldwell, Catauga's mother, told the judge the baby was constipated at the time he was medicated, so the drugs were not able to pass through his system.

"That situation was a pure accident," Sandra Caldwell said.

DeLury called the crimes "a tragic act of recklessness" before imposing the maximum sentence according to the plea agreement.

"Any person with a modicum of prudence would never give these medications to a 7-week-old infant," he said.