Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Opposing the Closure of the Woodbridge Developmental Center
Purpose: To express the Council's opposition to the Recommendation of the Task Force that the facility be shut down by 2017.
Additional Information:
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Whereas, in an effort to reduce New Jersey's reliance on institutional care, the Task Force on the Closure of State Developmental Centers was created by the State Legislature and charged with reviewing certain criteria of each of the state-operated facilities including but not limited to the local economic impact of losing a center; the ability of a community to provide or develop services for those leaving who wanted to leave or didn't oppose moving outside the region; the state's ability to maintain operations, and projected repair and maintenance of each center; and
Whereas, among the seven state-operated facilities for this purpose is the Woodbridge Development Center (hereinafter referred to as WDC), a residential facility, established in 1965 for persons with developmental disabilities and located on 68 acres in the Avenel section of Woodbridge Township; and
Whereas, in July (2012), the Task Force recommended WDC (and North Jersey Developmental Center in Passaic County) to be shuttered by 2017; and
Whereas, while indicating that no one piece of information or experience was a determining factor in which of the seven state-operated facilities would be recommended for closure, there are other factors that should have been considered before making their decision. These factors include the rights (federal laws require government to meet the needs of the individual) of the clients at WDC to have treating professionals make judgments about how their needs are best met and that transferring clients from long term institutional care to community housing has its own set of problems including higher rates of mortality and an increased likelihood of abuse in a community; and
Whereas the Newark Municipal council is deeply concerned by not only the recommendation by the Task Force to displace the WDC clients but the wide-reaching economic effect with the loss of approximately 1,600 jobs.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT: it does hereby express is disagreement with the finds and conclusion of the Task Force on the Closure of Development Centers and oppose the closing of the WDC as it is a vital and valuable resource that should be kept in operation for the benefit of its clients and employees.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be forwarded to Governor Chris Christie, Honorable Senator Barbara Buono, and to the Essex County State Legislature delegation.