Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner, Courage to Connect New Jersey Executive Director Gina Genovese and Fred Lange of Courage to Reconnect (l-r) eagerly await a public hearing with Fanwood residents regarding a proposal municipal consolidation study for Scotch Plains and Fanwood. The hearing was held July 10 in Fanwood, as part of three summer hearings being held through the oversight of the state Department of Community Affairs.

Following a November vote by residents of two New Jersey municipalities to merge, a task force is proceeding with plans to combine Princeton Township with Princeton Borough. Some expenses of the consolidation are higher than anticipated.   

A public hearing was held Monday night at the Scotch Plains Municipal Building on the application by the organization Courage to Reconnect Scotch Plains/Fanwood (CTR-SPF) seeking local and state endorsement to study consolidating the two towns.

The seemingly obvious idea that New Jersey’s many municipal governments could join together to save tax money has been thwarting anyone who tried it for more than a century.   

Combining the two New Jersey communities that share the Princeton name is testing Governor Chris Christie’s effort to get the state’s patchwork of 566 cities and towns to merge governments. 

EAST BRUNSWICK — Citizens and elected officials from all over the state attended a forum Wednesday to discuss ways in which to make local government more efficient through municipal consolidation.   

For the Princetons, 2012 is the year we transition to a single municipal government, with the promise of a brighter and more sustainable future.   

As budget hearings continue in Trenton through the early spring, there is another important meeting that is also taking place. In my opinion, this meeting is more critical for the long-term fiscal strength of our state than anything taking place in the Statehouse. 

For the Princetons, 2012 is the year we transition to a single municipal government, with the promise of a brighter and more sustainable future.   

Communities, like the people who live in them, suffered from the recent economic crisis, dealing with budget cuts, layoffs, and reduced services.