The proposal to have Mercer and Middlesex counties share a common medical examiner's office is a sound one.
With the upcoming retirement of its two key professionals, the Mercer County Medical Examiner's Office finds itself grappling with some hard decisions.
Close the office entirely and link up with its counterpart in Middlesex County? Join forces with one of the two state-run medical examiner offices already in existence? Or hire new medical examiners and expand the existing office to form a completely new regional office?
Dr. Raafat Ahmad, who currently heads the Mercer office, has racked up 36 years at the county and will be retiring at the end of this year at a salary of $154,993. Dr. Daksha Shah, a part-timer and 35-year veteran who will leave at the same time, earns $54,500.
In New Jersey, when a person dies unexpectedly and no cause of death is immediately known, a medical examiner is called in. That office also investigates deaths that result from violence or injury, as well as deaths that occur in legal custody.
Retirements could lead county to close office
All the options on the table have their pluses and minuses, but the notion of sharing services with Middlesex County seems to us the most efficient and effective, from both a geographical and a financial standpoint.
In the first place, there's precedent; Mercer County wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel.
Earlier this year, Middlesex and Monmouth counties threw their lot in together. Under a 10-year agreement that went into effect in April, Monmouth pays Middlesex $1.4 million annually to perform all operations of a medical examiner's office.
In addition to investigating deaths, Middlesex is now preserving evidence, analyzing physical evidence and providing expert testimony for court cases when needed.
One analysis predicted the arrangement would save Monmouth County $1 million over the coming decade.
2 counties merge medical examiner's services
Consolidation has been a buzzword in state and municipal government going back to the administration of former Gov. Christie Whitman, if not before.
Joining hands with Middlesex would be relatively painless for the Mercer office, which in addition to its two doctors has a full-time clerical staff of two, plus contract workers.
Hughes said if the county does close its facility, the two clerks will be assigned elsewhere within the county system - meaning that if the merger proceeds, no one will be laid off.
It's still pretty early in the game, and many details still have to be ironed out. Hughes says the final cost to join the Middlesex/Monmouth partnership is yet to be determined, and that's a huge factor.
But assuming the math works out, we can't see any real down side to moving in the direction of a merger, and we're eager to see how all the pieces fit into place.