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Convincing towns to merge is easier than most people believe. As described on the previous page, every consolidation involves two general stages: a study committee examines the feasibility of a merger and, if it recommends consolidation, the towns vote on whether to merge. This guidebook focuses on Local Option municipal Consolidation and the creation of a “municipal Consolidation Study Commission.” The procedure is best understood as a six-step process:

STEP 1
Organize.

Organize supporters in your own town, then work with CTC-NJ to identify consolidation supporters in neighboring towns.

STEP 2
Prepare Application to Create Study Commission.

Work with CTC-NJ and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (“DCA”) to prepare an application to create a municipal Consolidation Study Commission. The application must be approved by the participating towns (Step 3) and by the state (Step 4).

STEP 3
Obtain Local Approval for Study Commission.

Obtain approval from each of the participating towns, then hold public hearings. There are three ways to do this: (1) by voter petitions (signed by ten percent of the voters in each town), (2) by municipal resolutions, or (3) any combination of the two.

STEP 4
Obtain State Approval for Study Commission.

Obtain approval from the Local finance Board, which is an independent state agency located in the DCA.

STEP 5
Study Commission Recommends Consolidation.

Once the state has signed off on the application, the municipal Consolidation Study Commission is formed. The Study Commission considers whether the participating towns should merge and then issues a fi nal report and recommendation.

STEP 6
Obtain Local Approval for Consolidation.

If the Study Commission recommends consolidation, each town must approve the merger. There are three ways to do this: (1) by voter referenda, (2) by municipal resolutions, or (3) both.

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