A commission of representatives from the Borough and the Township met on Wednesday evening to consider the possibility of merging to form one municipality.
The Joint Consolidation/Shared Services Study Commission has met for the past several months to discuss the possible effects of consolidation and make recommendations for the shared services and administration of a consolidated municipality. If the commission recommends consolidation in the next few months, Borough and Township residents will vote on a consolidation referendum in November. The measure would have to pass in both municipalities to go into effect.
The Community Engagement Subcommittee presented its report on the two focus groups it has held to study public opinion on consolidation issues. The focus groups, each composed of 12 randomly selected residents of the Borough and Township, found that its participants overwhelmingly favored consolidation as a means of saving money and improving cooperation throughout a broader Princeton.
Participants identified the benefits of the University as the most valuable aspect of living in Princeton but also expressed concerns that “the University plays the two municipalities against each other for its own benefit,” the report stated. “Participants generally believe, or at least hope, that a unified town with a unified voice might get what they perceive as a fairer deal,” the report added, noting that the comments seemed to reflect concerns about negotiations on the Arts and Transit Neighborhood.
At the meeting, William Metro, chair of the subcommittee on the police department, also introduced the committee’s recommendation for a consolidated police force that would at first retain all officers from both forces then gradually let its headcount decrease as officers leave the force over the next three to five years.
“What we recommend is a police force that has 51 police officers in it, instead of the current 60, but we achieve that goal over the next several years, primarily through taking advantage of the attrition that would occur through eligible retirees,” Metro explained. “On day one, we will have 60 police officers.”
Metro said that a larger workforce would be needed in the early stages of the consolidation, when extra labor would be required to merge the two departments’ methods and practices.
The subcommittee’s headcount model, when fully implemented, would result in a savings of $2.1 million per year in the annual budget, and the implementation at its halfway point would mean a savings of about $1.5 million, based on calculations by the Center for Governmental Research.
Township Mayor Chad Goerner, chair of the finance subcommittee, announced that the tax impact, or the amount that the average homeowner pays in taxes to support its municipal government, would likely be unchanged in the Borough and would slightly decrease in the Township. The subcommittee added that it is considering various ways to even out the benefits of the consolidation, such as requiring the Township to make a one-time equalization payment proportional to its surplus.
The Municipal Consolidation Subcommittee has also decided to recommend against petitioning the state to approve a charter model of government, subcommittee chair Bernie Miller said. Though a charter government would allow a consolidated Princeton to design its own form of government, Miller explained, it would be subject to the state legislature’s approval.
“The commission could make recommendation, but the special charter would have to be established by the New Jersey state legislature after the charter was passed” as Princeton’s form of government, he said. “The nature of the charter would be out of the hands of the people that would be impacted by the charter itself.”
The Public Works Subcommittee also made its formal recommendation for a consolidated public works department that would integrate the Borough’s existing Public Works and Recreation departments and the Township’s existing Public Works and Recreation departments.
Residents are invited to ask questions about consolidation at the commission’s booth at Communiversity this Saturday.
Read More
‘A brilliant young contemporary writer and a beautiful human being’: Remembering Lauren Blackburn ’26
Victoria Davies and Caitlyn TabladaBlackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”
Blackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.