Public Forum to be Held in Mendham Township on October 26 to Discuss Governor’s Municipal Consolidation Proposal

Residents in Gov. Chris Christie’s hometown of Mendham Township, as well as residents in the surrounding communities, are invited to an open forum on Wednesday, October 26 at 7 p.m. to discuss the Governor’s proposal to encourage municipal mergers and what it means for New Jersey.
 
The Governor’s draft legislation, released at the end of September, calls for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to pay 20 percent of the cost of a merger between any two municipalities in New Jersey and to allow the cost to be spread over five years. Over the long run, municipal consolidation will save taxpayers’ money; this proposal is designed to eliminate, or at least mitigate, the short term expense.
"Sensible, locally-driven consolidation must be supported by state government, and that is exactly what we are doing," Christie said in a statement accompanying the proposal.
The forum is planned by Mendham Township residents who reached out to Gina Genovese, executive director of Courage to Connect New Jersey, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that educates the community about the need for a more efficient municipal structure for New Jersey. The program will take place at Mendham Township Town Hall, 2 West Main St., above the library.
 
Genovese, who has invited the Governor to participate in the program, has presented similar programs at the request of residents of numerous municipalities across New Jersey.
"Our purpose is to provide an opportunity for non-partisan discussion on how we can more effectively, efficiently and economically administer our towns without sacrificing security and their quality of living,” said Clelia Ilacqua, a resident who is co-sponsoring the event.  “This discussion in the State of New Jersey is long overdue."
Genovese will discuss the second edition of “Courage to Connect New Jersey Guidebook: The Tools for Municipal Consolidation,” a comprehensive manual that provides step-by step measures that residents and local officials can take to form municipal consolidation study commissions and, ultimately, consolidate communities.
 
Also expected to be discussed is a recent study from Ball State University, which finds significant savings to New Jersey taxpayers in municipalities that consolidate. The report finds “widespread and meaningful costs” associated with overlapping and redundant government, with “unclear lines of responsibility.”
 
The Oct. 26 program is free and open to the public; residents of Mendham Township and the surrounding communities are all encouraged to attend.
 
To learn more about Courage to Connect New Jersey or for a free copy of the guidebook, visit the organization’s website: www.CourageToConnectNJ.org or email info@couragetoconnectnj.org.