EDISON – New Jersey has 564 municipalities and more school districts than that.
There long has been talk of consolidating towns, or at least, merging services – usually during gubernatorial elections. Of course, not much happens.
Whether Steve Fulop can change the state’s peculiar devotion to “home rule” – and its negative impact on property taxes – is unknown.
Nonetheless, he went further Monday than most statewide candidates have gone when he talked about ways to force towns to merge.
Fulop and Sheena Collum, his lieutenant governor candidate, highlighted their “affordability” program outside a suburban home just around the corner from where Fulop lived as a child.
They both, a bit sarcastically, referred to mayors who love walking around conferences with a badge that says, “Mayor.”
“The reality is that we have to force these people to have a conversation on consolidation,” Fulop said.
A cynic may respond that “those people” should be forced to consolidate towns, not just converse about it. But first things first.
Fulop proposed using the state’s Local Finance Board to make it harder for towns to bond.
“That is the tool we are going to use to leverage consolidation,” he said.
Or in other words, by discouraging municipalities from borrowing money on their own for capital improvements, they would be forced to consider regional solutions.
Fulop also wants to explore mandating that voters approve municipal bond initiatives for major projects, which is the norm with boards of education.
There is no shortage of stories about why regional planning is needed.
Collum offered one of them, and it had to do with flooding.
“The water doesn’t give a crap if there is a municipal border,” she said.
The political problem is that many of those folks walking around with a “Mayor’s” badge are not going to easily give up their power, as relative as it may be. Many residents also seem to like the identity their town gives them regardless of its size.
Fulop said he picked Collum as LG candidate because as mayor of South Orange, she knows about local issues.
She also knows about merging services and downsizing.
Collum said that during her tenure, the town hall was sold and converted into a beer garden. (A better use of property to be sure).
She also pushed through a merger of fire departments with neighboring Maplewood.
So, when it came time to buy a new fire engine, only one was needed, saving a million bucks.
Paraphrasing the famous line attributed to Everitt Dirksen – “A fire truck here, a fire truck there, and pretty soon it’s real money.”
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has recently introduced a new affordability plan with the support of South Orange Village President Sheena Collum. The plan aims to address the issue of housing affordability in both Jersey City and South Orange, two cities that have seen a significant increase in housing costs in recent years.
One of the key components of the plan is the creation of a new affordable housing trust fund, which will be used to provide financial assistance to low and moderate-income residents who are struggling to afford housing in the area. The fund will be financed through a combination of public and private sources, including contributions from developers who are seeking to build new housing projects in the cities.
In addition to the affordable housing trust fund, the plan also includes measures to increase the availability of affordable housing units in both Jersey City and South Orange. This includes incentives for developers to set aside a certain percentage of units in new housing projects for affordable housing, as well as efforts to streamline the approval process for affordable housing projects.
Mayor Fulop and President Collum have both emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of housing affordability in their respective cities. They believe that everyone should have access to safe and affordable housing, regardless of their income level. By working together on this affordability plan, they hope to make a meaningful impact on the lives of residents who are struggling to make ends meet.
Overall, the introduction of this affordability plan is a positive step towards addressing the issue of housing affordability in Jersey City and South Orange. By creating a new affordable housing trust fund and increasing the availability of affordable housing units, Mayor Fulop and President Collum are taking concrete action to help those in need. With their continued support and collaboration, it is likely that this plan will have a lasting impact on the communities they serve.
