I have an idea for the New Jersey license plate slogan

New Jersey
over 1300 governments ready to serve you
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I am all for consolidating, after all their are 1,389 local governments, there is one for every 6,000 residents.

There are way too many schools systems, local fire departments and other government departments in New Jersey. Jersey City isn't bad in this regard because we are a big city -- but we could still consolidate with Hoboken and maybe Bayonne. The rest of Jersey is really crazy and we are all paying for it. A good example is that there is vastly more fire fighting equipment in North Jersey than in all of NYC. All this leads to gross corruption and waste.

Sounds to me like he wants to take $100m out of the right pocket to put $250m in the left. Only in government do we find this theory of fiscal management applied! It?s a distraction. Do you really think that an ex senior leader of an investment banking firm would spend over $100m of his personal money and not seek a return on his investment?

Lower property taxes start in our communities. Lowering school budgets, cutting civil service payrolls, eliminating wasteful spending, demanding efficiency from our public employees, everyone taking responsibility for the quality of life in our communities by volunteering for community services (it?s our job not our government?s), eliminating ?deals? made between private enterprises and our local politicians, and so on. I?ve yet to meet a politician that left office financially broke, ethically perhaps, but certainly not financially.

We have some hard work ahead of us if we wish for our communities to be decent places to live and affordable (reads less taxes). We all have to make hard choices and that starts with actively working to change the current political ways. Sound off, political activity goes well beyond the voter's booth.

I nearly forgot. TheTruth you should stop here. I wouldn't want to see you ruin another bowl of Cheerios!

Peace,
Ed

To cut property taxes, sharing government services may be key

By TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press Writer

August 2, 2006, 2:51 PM EDT

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jerseyans love neighborhood schools, town halls, county identities and local fire departments. After all, the state has 1,389 local governments, or one for every 6,000 residents.

And each local government collects property taxes.

As New Jersey begins working to cut its reliance on its highest-in-the-nation property taxes, a special legislative committee will spend the coming months determining how best to entice those governments to either consolidate or share services.

"At the root of the property tax crisis is the duplication and inefficient delivery of services," said Sen. Robert Smith, D-Middlesex, who will co-chair the committee.

Here's what the panel may consider:

Q. What do all those governments do?

A. New Jersey has 21 county and 566 municipal governments, 616 school districts and 186 fire districts.

Q. How does this compare to other states?

A. New Jersey has more municipalities per square mile than any other state.

Q. If shrinking these governments lowers my property taxes, why hasn't it been done already?

A. Politics, bureaucracy and a desire by residents to have their own schools and communities are reasons. Elected officials are wary to propose forced consolidation, and residents have often been hesitant to support it.

Plans to merge Princeton Township and Princeton Borough were defeated three times in the 1990s. Occasionally, someone talks about merging the nine fire districts in Hamilton, Mercer County, that charge different tax rates, but nothing has been done to change that system with the fire departments proving influential in local politics.

It's also difficult for a community that follows civil service rules to enter into agreements with communities that don't operate under those rules.

Q. How much money could be saved by shrinking local governments?

A. A 2003 Rutgers University study found reducing the state's 616 school districts by half would save $365 million after four years, doing little to cut the $20 billion collected annually in New Jersey in property taxes.

But Gov. Jon S. Corzine believes real savings can be found through consolidation and shared services.

"We know in every walk of life that economies of scale increase productivity and reduce costs," Corzine said. "Why would we not seek to replicate that in a significant way in our local governments and schools?"

Q. Haven't we heard all this before?

A. Yes. For decades New Jersey has talked about enticing governments to consolidate and share services, but Corzine said prior efforts offered little reason for local governments to actually do it. This year's budget, for example, includes just $15 million for shared services.

So Corzine wants to use $250 million from the recent sales tax increase to reward governments that consolidate and share services.