Municipal consolidation movement picking up steam

Faced with police and teacher layoffs, reduced garbage collection and other municipal service cuts -- largely due to slashed state aid -- citizen activists are prodding their elected officials to consider municipal consolidation.

They have the power now, under the 2007 Municipal Consolidation Law, to petition municipal governing bodies to undertake talks with a neighboring town -- even when local leaders don’t like the idea.

What would happen and how much would we save, they are asking, if we erase municipal borders between one or more towns, and merge our police, fire and schools and eliminate redundant municipal jobs? After all, these activists point out, New Jersey residents pay the highest property taxes in the nation.

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