Helmetta residents and businesses that use construction and zoning services will now get them from the borough of Sayreville.

The towns have entered into a shared services agreement that gives Sayreville control of Helmetta’s construction department. The agreement is expected to generate some $15,000 to $18,000 for Sayreville annually, according to Sayreville Business Administrator Jeff Bertrand.

“We are running their construction department,” Bertrand said. “It brings us money and saves Helmetta money, so both towns win.”

Though Helmetta is not paying Sayreville, the latter town will earn revenue from fees paid by applicants for services. The money paid to Sayreville will help offset construction costs, Bertrand said.

“It generates revenue into the construction department, but the goal is to break even,” he said. Helmetta Mayor Nancy Martin said her town pursued the agreement due to the loss of revenues over the past three years in that department and due to the present economic situation.

“Sayreville will be handling the construction/ zoning in Helmetta, and the office in Sayreville will be available for our residents, which will actually be an expansion of the service presently provided to our residents,” Martin said. “We look forward to working together in this shared service agreement with Sayreville.”

While Helmetta has already adopted Sayreville’s construction fees to make the process uniform, Sayreville will soon have to amend its own construction fees to add items such as solar panels, which were not commonplace five years ago when the borough constructed its fee base, according to the business administrator.

Sayreville is conducting some office hours in Helmetta during the daytime, but residents can also visit the construction office in Sayreville, Bertrand said.

Sayreville, which has entered into several shared services agreements with surrounding towns in the last few years, is being “as aggressive as possible” in locating services to share, Bertrand said.

“We’re talking to everyone right now to get an idea of how we can save money for both towns,” he said.

Sayreville and Helmetta entered into a different shared services agreement last year. Sayreville now pays Helmetta for its animal control services, saving $19,000 by teaming up with Helmetta, according to Bertrand. The success of that shared service led officials to discuss what else could be done to save money. Sharing construction services was pursued since Helmetta did not have its own in-house construction department.

“Once you establish a rapport with somebody right away, you think, ‘What else can we do?’ ” Bertrand said.

Sayreville is also looking into possible shared services with Old Bridge, South Amboy and South River. The Federal Communications Commission requires that towns change the frequency of their radio systems from analog to digital, and the borough has linked with those three towns to conduct a needs analysis.

“This could provide a bridge into bigger things to share,” Bertrand said. “We have these good relationships with these other towns already, so we’re looking at what else we can do.”

A shared services agreement typically means someone is saving money while the other is making money, Bertrand said. Either way, it means both towns are saving money, he said.

“We’re trying to see what’s cheaper for both of us,” Bertrand said. “We anticipate more sharing in the months to come.”