State kills road kill program, leaves clean up to towns

Municipalities scramble to find ways to dispose of carcasses, By Margaret Witt Byram — Just in time for the peak season of deer-car collisions, New Jersey will be handing off the job of cleaning up road kill to local towns. The shift will go into effect on Sept. 30. It is part of Governor Corzine’s plan to trim the state budget, according to Kris Kolluri, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Shifting the burden to local government will save the state $734,000 in the coming year, Kolluri said. The state has only 12 workers who clear approximately 14,700 out of the 21,000 deer killed, he said, whereas the individual municipalities have many more employees to do the work. The Department of Public Works in Sussex County has 83 employees. John Eskilson, the county administrator, said the change “just shifts the burden, going from an aggressive tax on income to a regressive tax — local taxes.” He noted deer are “state animals” — New Jersey regulates deer and controls the population — “but now they are our responsibility.” Still, Eskilson said, road kill is not only unattractive but a health hazard, and the county is already preparing for its new responsibility. The county’s public works department will not be doing the work. Instead, the county wrote up the requirements for the job and put it out to bid. Outside contractors are currently bidding for the job, he said. The county will also make available to all the town’s unit pricing based on the county’s chosen contract. Sparta Township is currently looking at a few independent contractors. According to Tony Imbimbo, a town employee, the town doesn’t know how many dead deer to anticipate, making it difficult to guess how much this will really affect the town. Imbimbo said the first year will be a learning experience, but, one way or the other, Sparta will be ready for the state’s deadline. The vast majority of deer-car accidents occur during the deer’s mating season, which includes the months of October, November, and December.