Consolidation of the two Princetons is back on the table.
Members of the governing bodies of both towns — along with numerous residents — appear ready to move ahead with a study, despite a history of failed consolidation attempts. At a Monday meeting on the issue, even people who in the past opposed a merger said they were ready to investigate — even if they were not ready to take a position on consolidation.
Borough Councilman David Goldfarb, a past opponent of full municipal consolidation, said, “We should move ahead very carefully, make sure we are all on the same page before we move on to the next step, and don’t make any assumptions.”
Mr. Goldfarb said, “I think we can go forward with the next two or three steps without throwing the c-word in front of everybody and getting an uproar and having everybody taking sides.”
Such a discussion — occurring at a time when the governor is pushing for more shared services and potential municipal and school consolidations — could help frame the debate statewide. The issues — cost savings and services, debt, identity and representation — are the same ones that pop up in every discussion.
And while the Princetons already share more services than most communities — there are probably 20 or so agencies and commissions that operate jointly, including the Planning Board, tax assessment and collection, the Board of Health, the library and the school district — there remains plenty of other areas that could result in savings. Most notable, of course, is the existence of two separate police departments, one of the largest costs incurred by any municipality.
There is no doubt that New Jersey has too many layers of government (can we reform the counties?) and too many municipalities (566!) and school districts (611!) and that we need to streamline. It will require municipal mergers, school regionalization and other changes.
Critics of consolidation dispute this assertion, which is why the Princeton discussion is likely to have implications well beyond the township’s borders (the township is the doughnut that completely surrounds the borough) and even beyond Mercer County and central New Jersey.
Hank Kalet 