2 Mercer County Towns Could Be Eliminated Under State Plan

Two Mercer 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 Mercer County towns are on the list, including Hopewell, with a population of 1,904; and Pennington, with a population of 2,567.

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

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