5 Somerset County Towns Could Be Eliminated Under State Plan

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Five Somerset County towns could be eliminated and merged with neighboring municipalities under a new plan put together by state officials.

Patch obtained a copy of the letter detailing the potentially dramatic policy changes proposed by the "Economic and Fiscal Policy Working Group" after it was initially published by nj.com.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Require municipalities with less than 5,000 people to merge with adjacent municipalities.
• Merge all K-6 and K-8 school districts into K-12 regional districts, with option for county districts
• Install tolls on interstate highway "near the state line" to help stabilize the pension system.
• Install high-occupancy toll lanes (or HOT lane) on the New Jersey Turnpike, I-80, I-295, I-287, among others.
• Explicitly authorize county sheriffs or county police departments to assume local police responsibilities to encourage county-based policing
• Mandate countywide tax assessments that follow a consistent structure

The Somerset County municipalities included in the plan, and their populations, were:

1. Millstone, 498
2. Rocky Hill, 618
3. Far Hills, 991
4. Peapack and Gladstone, 2,588
5. South Bound Brook, 4,613

State Senate President Steve Sweeney said he wanted a panel "to evaluate the impact of the federal tax law on New Jersey's economy, jobs, housing values and revenue collections and to assess the broad array of issues that impact taxes and spending at all levels of government in New Jersey." (See Related: Eliminating 191 Towns? More Tolls? Look At What NJ Could Do)

(Image via Google Maps: Peapack and Gladstone Police Department)

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.