1/25/2007
The Morris County government spent $34,831 in the last three months of 2006 in its shared service program for the removal of deer carcasses from county and municipal roads.
County figures show Washington Township led the way with a total of 67 deer carcasses removed during the three month period, followed by Randolph with 44 and Morris Township with 43.
According to the Morris County Department of Public Works, 581 deer carcasses were removed from Oct. 1, when the New Jersey Department of Transportation transferred that responsibility to towns and counties, to Dec. 31.
Of that total, 329 carcasses were taken from municipal roadways at a cost of $19,723, and 252 were removed from county roads at a cost of $15,107.
The Morris Freeholders in September entered into a contract with a Monmouth County firm to remove dead dear from both county and local roads.
In what it said was an effort to cut costs, the state is removing deer carcasses from state highways only, a move the freeholders claim does nothing but shift the burden onto local taxpayers.
Under the county program, each town is responsible for reporting deer carcasses on local and county roads within its municipality directly to the company.
The freeholders said the county is providing the service to its 39 towns at no cost to the municipality.
Imformation Provided by the County of Morris © 2008
