March 1 Public Forum to Discuss Benefits of Municipal Consolidation

With property taxes and the cost of government administration continuing to increase in Union County, there has never been a better time to discuss solutions for municipal financial woes.

Courage to Connect New Jersey, a non-partisan, grassroots organization, invites the public to attend a free forum at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1 at , 360 Elkwood Ave. The forum – open to all – will offer an enlightening look at the struggles of local government and the only logical, long-term solution – consolidating towns.

The discussion will feature Gina Genovese, a former mayor who serves as executive director of Courage to Connect New Jersey. She will discuss the planned merger of the Princetons, as well as many other efforts around the state to consolidate towns.

A guest will be Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner, who will discuss how the planned consolidation of his town with Princeton Borough will save $3.2 million — a tax reduction for residents that “isn’t happening anywhere in the state of New Jersey,” he said.

The March 1 event is sponsored by New Providence resident Victor Moschella.

“I don't think citizens should be expected to continue to pay more in taxes for less and less in services when one of the single largest uses of our taxes is our local government,” said Moschella. “We have explored every cost cutting, service sharing opportunity that has presented itself, except for the obvious one: consolidating our governing bodies.”

If New Providence was consolidated with adjoining towns, “we would be able to more strongly negotiate all contracts, both with employees and contractors,” Moschella added. “We would have greater voice with our county government as well.”

In her presentation, Genovese will stress the need for municipalities to maintain their own identity, yet become part of larger municipalities that share a police department, a public works department, a tax office and other government functions that are now being duplicated from one town to the next, wasting millions of dollars annually.

Genovese will also present information from the “Courage to Connect New Jersey Guidebook: The Tools for Municipal Consolidation,” now in its second edition. It is a comprehensive manual that provides step-by step measures residents can take to form municipal consolidation study commissions and, ultimately, consolidate communities.

For a free copy of the guidebook, to donate to the cause or for more information, visit www.CourageToConnectNJ.org.