Could Chester Boro Merge With Township? Under New NJ Plan, Maybe

CHESTER BOROUGH, NJ — Could Chester Borough be re-incorporated by the larger Chester Township? If one proposal being considered at the state level becomes reality, the two Chesters could become one again.

Under a cost-cutting plan proposed by the Economic and Fiscal Policy Working Group, established by Senate President Steve Sweeney, all towns smaller than 5,000 residents would be merged with larger, nearby towns. In the case of Chester Borough, that would probably mean being re-incorporated by Chester Township, although the plan doesn't specifically say that. The plan to combine small towns is one of many cost saving ideas proposed by the group at the state level.

Chester Borough is home to 1,577 residents. The borough is entirely surrounded by Chester Township, which is home to 7,838 residents.

"The first I heard about this proposal was when I read it in the morning paper. I have reached out to Sen. Sweeney’s office and have spoken to Nic Platt, one of the Governor’s co-czars of shared services and our State Senator Tony Bucco. At this point, there is no information that I’ve been given, other than this was a suggestion from Sen. Sweeney’s office," Borough mayor Janet Hoven told Patch.

Borough was established in 1930 when it broke off from Township over a dispute about sewage and water costs. Many services currently overlap between the Chesters, including a K-8 school district, the volunteer fire department, the library, and the first aid squad. The two police departments merged in January 2017.

A merger between the two was last seriously considered in 2010. The merge stalled when the state’s Department of Community Affairs didn't provide funds for costs associated with consolidation. When data was collected in 2009, the state found that Borough taxes would go down by $570 on average, while Township taxes would go up by $128, on average, NJ.com reported.

Moves to combine the two failed in 1976, 1983, and 1997, the paper reported.

Chester Borough is one of a few Morris County towns potentially on the chopping block. The others are:

• Harding township, population 3881
• Mine Hill township, population 3634
• Mountain Lakes borough, population 4287
• Netcong borough, population 3248
• Riverdale borough, population 4206
• Victory Gardens borough, population 1623

Read More: Eliminating 191 Towns? More Tolls? Look At What NJ Could Do

Image via Chester Borough