Brian Donahue notes on NJ.com that this month's decision not to merge the tiny towns of Wantage and Sussex could have larger implications for the debate over property taxes and consolidation in New Jersey. It's one of the great paradoxes of New Jersey politics: most people agree there are too many layers of government, too many town halls and police departments and bureaucrats in a tiny state with 566 municipalities. But ask taxpayers to merge their town with the one next door, or maybe even share a police department and most of the time, the answer is a loud, "No way."(Don't miss Brian's Feature Video and reader comments)
That's just what happened last week in the Township of Wantage, where voters rejected a ballot measure that would have joined the town with the tiny Borough of Sussex. Sussex is essentially Wantage's downtown, cut off from the surrounding township in a feud over utilities costs in the late 1800's.
My Father was the newspaper editor for the Bloomfield Paper from early 70s to 1995 when he died. He was almost tarred and feathered in throughout that time everytime he "begged" residents to see how merging community services would save them tax money. No matter how many times he presented the facts, the math, etc....we had some really mad citizens calling our house in those days...so I am sad to see there is still the same attitude. How hard it will be for NJ to ever move from home rule.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Laurie. We moved here in '99, but your father's contribution to Bloomfield is still talked about by "Old Timers" at BNAC meetings.
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