Monmouth County highlights MedStar growth, shared services and multi‑million-dollar bridge projects

Tom Arnone, Monmouth County Commissioner Director, used a recorded county presentation to review the government’s recent public‑safety and infrastructure achievements and near‑term priorities. He said Monmouth County’s MedStar emergency‑response program grew from 15 providers and three ambulances at its 2024 launch to "over a 150 personnel" and "30 ambulances," serving "40 separate municipalities." He said the program handled "more than 10,000 calls and 7,000 transports" in 2025 and improved median response time to "5 minutes and 27 seconds," and that 2026 is projected to see "about 20,000 calls for service."

Arnone framed the expansion as part of a broader push toward shared services: he said Monmouth County is the only county in the state with at least one shared‑service agreement with each of its 53 municipalities and "at least 3 shared service agreements with all 53 municipalities," naming programs such as MedStar, the county fire academy, municipal assistance and public‑works support. "The DCA has referred to Monmouth County as the gold standard in shared services," Arnone said, citing remarks from the Department of Community Affairs at a county summit.

On infrastructure, Arnone highlighted recent large projects the county secured through external funding. He said the Rumson‑Seabright Bridge project moved forward without direct taxpayer costs and cited a roughly "$138,000,000" price tag secured through the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA). He described the planned Oceanic Bridge as "probably close to a $200,000,000 project," saying a high‑span design was required to meet funding and permitting constraints. Arnone credited county planning and partners for the wins.

Arnone also noted grant success in 2025, saying the county secured "over 40,000,000 in grant funding for transportation, public safety, health, [and] social service programs," and reviewed budget work for 2026 that will examine personnel vacancies, health‑insurance choices and other cost drivers. He contrasted Monmouth County’s funding model — which he said funds approximately "67¢" of each county dollar through taxes, compared with about "75¢" in similar counties — with the county’s shared‑service revenue model and said that approach reduces costs for municipalities.

Arnone tied economic development and planning to local revenue growth, noting efforts to register communities as film‑ready and work with private partners to expand local opportunities. "We will continue to invest ... to make sure that we provide that public safety for our municipalities," he said.

The presentation was promotional in tone and did not include formal votes or requests for board action.