Should Town and Township Consolidate?
The Princetons are doing it, why can't we?
This year's Election Day was a historic one for what has always been referred to as "The Princetons," the borough and Township.
Not anymore.
After years of back and forth, of being for it and against it, voters finally approved merging the two, to officially be Princeton. For many, it was a long time coming, the borderline between the two being a general mystery. Taxpayers are expected to save $200 a year through additional consolidated services, according to our friends at Princeton Patch.
Closer to home, there is a similar tale of two towns. Or, rather, a town and a township. Since Morristown seceded from Morris Township in 1865, our three-square-miles of heaven has been a doughnut hole to the doughnut that is the township. Like the Princetons, it can sometimes be tough to tell which is which, especially since we share the same ZIP code.
While there have been no recent talks here about consolidation, the issue has begun to pick up steam of late throughout the state, as municipalities seek new ways to recoup costs.
Which brings us to our "Question of the Day:" Should Morristown and Morris Township come back together, nearly 150 years after they split apart? Why or why not? Chime in below.
Motown Gentleman
10:45 am on Friday, November 11, 2011
Why not? Our schools are already together. Save some cash by the combining of the Fire and Police departments and Courts...Bigger geographic contracts split by more people should reduce costs of projects and public works. Not to mention the borders of Morristown and and Township are blurred in so many areas...consider Washington Avenue where 3/4 of the neighborhood is town and 1/4 township. It really makes sense to combine.
Lewis Stone
8:39 pm on Saturday, November 12, 2011
Township has a stronger economic picture than the town. The town has more debt.
If we merge, the township residents may have to pay off the town's debt which would not be equatable. We can still share more services for cost savings.
Margret Brady
8:57 am on Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Township financial picture is not as strong compared to the Town as they think. If If Morristown did not provide all those cultural, religious, medical, county and other non-profit services for the Township at our cost, you would find that there is very little difference. Now that the Township has all those big empty commericial complexes and Morristown adds more tax paying residents, the tax ratio will shift in our favor.