14 Camden County Towns Could Be Eliminated Under State Plan

Fourteen Camden 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,” a panel put together by Senate President Steve Sweeney and other lawmakers.

Two of the top three towns on the list 191 towns that could disappear if the proposal becomes reality are in Camden County. Pine Valley, a small town with a listed population of just four people, is No. 1. Tavistock, which has nine people, is third.

Here are some of the highlights of the plan:

• 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

Sweeney's office downplayed the plan but didn't dismiss it as a possibility. Read more: Eliminating 191 Towns? More Tolls? Look At What NJ Could Do

The list of Camden County towns that could be eliminated if the state Legislature followed through on the proposal to merge towns, and their populations can be found below:

1. Pine Valley, Camden County 4
2. Tavistock, Camden County 9
3. Hi-Nella, Camden County 895
4. Audubon Park, Camden County 993
5. Chesilhurst, Camden County 1639
6. Laurel Springs, Camden County 1950
7. Brooklawn, Camden County 1954
8. Gibbsboro, Camden County 2157
9. Lawnside, Camden County 2923
10. Woodlynne, Camden County 2955
11. Merchantville, Camden County 3771
12. Magnolia, Camden County 4321
13. Mount Ephraim, Camden County 4639
14. Clementon, Camden County 4924

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