Consolidation

The consolidation of the former Princeton Borough and Township has resulted in net savings of $750,000 from the consolidated municipality’s 2013 preliminary budget, according to a presentation of the budget on Tuesday evening. This figure, which is the first to take into account the transition costs of the merger, is significantly lower than the $3 million reported by several local news organizations.

The town of Princeton will announce its 2013 operating budget at a council meeting on April 22. This will enable Princeton officials to calculate the actual savings realized by the consolidation of the Township and the Borough that took place Jan. 1, 2013. Previous estimates of consolidation savings have ranged from $2.5 million to $3 million.

The newly-consolidated Princeton is seeking $460,000 from the state of New Jersey to cover transition costs incurred over the past year. Before Princeton residents voted to consolidate the Princeton Borough and Township in November 2011, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie informed the municipalities in September of the same year that they would be reimbursed for 20 percent of the consolidation costs. However, now that the town has submitted a request to the state, it is unclear which expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

The Joint Consolidation/Shared Services Study Commission voted on Wednesday night to recommend that a referendum on consolidation be placed on the November ballot.

The Joint Consolidation/Shared Services Study Commission finalized its recommendations for consolidating police and public works departments.