The Princetons are doing it. Would you vote to merge your town with the one next door if it meant paying less in property taxes? This is The Trentonian's theoretical look at consolidating towns in Mercer County in an effort to save money on services.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Princetons point way for consolidation
After six tries, the proposal to consolidate Princeton Borough and the larger Princeton Township was approved by voters last fall. A Transition Task Force now grinds out details of reconfiguring departments for the newly centralized municipality that will be known simply as “Princeton” in January 2013.
The road to a cost-saving merger has been fraught with roadblocks. Some residents asked, “If it’s not broke, why fix it?” They pointed to the 13 services the two entities already shared. Proponents saw savings in eliminating redundancies.
Two of the most significant factors to be overcome, according to Mayor Chad Goerner of Princeton Township, were fear of change and the perceived loss of unique identity. Some residents felt that by merging, they would be losing a significant cultural and emotional connection.
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