Governor's plan offers incentives to share services, possibly merge

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Governor's plan offers incentives to share services, possibly merge

Small towns like Cranbury are likely to take center stage in the coming weeks, as the state begins discussion on how to reduce the local property tax burden.

With the state Legislature meeting in a rare special joint session to discuss tax reform, the issues of sharing services and possibly merging some of the state's 566 municipalities and 616 school districts are on the table.

The joint session kicked off July 28 with a speech by Gov. Jon Corzine. In it, he proposed creating a $250 million fund that would offer financial incentives to encourage towns and school districts to share more services and possibly merge.

While many view the consolidation of services as a way to cut costs and reduce property taxes, Cranbury officials say much of that already is being done by the township. Officials are open to additional opportunities, but generally oppose full-scale consolidation.

Members of the Township Committee say the Cranbury has a history of sharing services with larger, neighboring communities, which helps eliminate superfluous spending. South Brunswick's sewer pump stations take care of Cranbury's sewerage, while Monroe maintains the sewers. Hightstown provides dispatching services, while Plainsboro is responsible for municipal court services.

Mayor Tom Panconi said that, because Cranbury is a small town, sharing some services is more cost-effective than if the township provided them. But he said there are certain services — such as the elementary school and police — that taxpayers would likely be reluctant to hand over.

"Cranbury won't be the first one to step up and eliminate home rule," Mayor Panconi said. "If everyone else was doing it, it'd be something we could think about."

Mayor Panconi said the township tries to take advantage of county and state funding and borrowing capacity for purchases, as it did when it used the Middlesex County Improvement Authority to bond for the purchase of a new fire truck. In addition, the township has an all-volunteer fire department and first aid squad, he said.

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