Mayor Cautious on Consolidation

Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said communities should take caution before rushing to consolidate, after Courage to Connect NJ urging communities to do so.

"It's admirable that we pursue anything that saves taxpayers money and decreases their property taxes, however, I think we have to do it in a way that maintains services and the character of these communities," LaBarbiera said.

LaBarbiera didn't attend the presentation, but said consolidation would work better for smaller communities—not necessarily Paramus. Paramus already shares some services with Oradell and Rochelle Park, but he and the Council are currently re-evaluating whether those agreements are worthwhile.

In such agreements, he said, the smaller community gets the benefit of a fixed price, while the larger community has to maintain larger workforce than it would without the agreement, which might not be in the larger community's best interest.

Gina Genovese, executive director of Courage to Connect NJ, said Friday that consolidating some of Bergen County's municipalities could save residents on property taxes, the highest of any county in the state.

But LaBarbiera said not every community shares the same values. For example, residents of neighboring towns could view the heavy retail base in Paramus as a negative.

"There's a multitude of issues because every community is unique in their own way," LaBarbiera said.