Middlesex and Monmouth counties are merging medical examiner operations as of April 1 in North Brunswick. Watch video
Middlesex and Monmouth counties are merging medical examiner services for 10 years. NEW BRUNSWICK -- Starting April 1, Middlesex and Monmouth counties will be merging all medical examiner operations at Middlesex County's facilities in North Brunswick.
The new agreement, approved by the freeholder boards of both counties earlier this month, runs for 10 years, according to a statement released Monday by Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald Rios.
The statement said as part of the agreement Monmouth County will pay Middlesex $1.4 million annually to perform all operations, including medical investigations of unexplained natural and violent deaths in order to determine cause and manner of death.
The office will also preserve evidence, analyze physical evidence and provide expert testimony for court, the statement said.
The statement said Middlesex County has been performing all administrative oversight of Monmouth County's medical examiner services since 2009.
"Our staff, under the supervision of our medical examiner, Dr. Diane Karluk, has done an outstanding job in providing these very specialized services for our county and will now use that expertise to serve Monmouth County," Rios said, adding the partnership will "make better use of our state-of-the-art facility and increase our revenues for the next decade."
The agreement is expected to save Monmouth County more than $1 million over the 10-year term, the statement said.
"Monmouth and Middlesex began this partnership with a shared service agreement in 2009," said Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. "The success of that arrangement has led both counties to commit to a 120-year merger for this necessary service."
The Monmouth County freeholders approved the agreement on Feb. 11, 2016 and the Middlesex County freeholders approved the agreement a week later on Feb. 18, 2016.
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