Governor signs municipal consolidation bill
By MELISSA DIPENTO
The Cherry Hill Sun
5/10/2011

Last week, Gov. Christie signed a law (A-3587) that clarifies a New Jersey municipality’s ability to study consolidation.

Assembly Democrats Lou Greenwald, Pam Lampitt, Connie Wagner and Valerie Vainieri Huttle sponsored the bill to ease municipal consolidation after the state rejected a merger study by Merchantville and Cherry Hill.

Township and borough officials from both Cherry Hill and Merchantville met with state senator Jim Beach last summer to talk theoretically about an in-depth study of what implications a potential merger would have on both municipalities, Cherry Hill Township spokesman Dan Keashen previously said.

The merger did not move forward previously because residents in the two municipalities arrived at the conclusion to study a potential merge by two different means.

Voters signed a petition in Merchantville to look into a merge.

In Cherry Hill, council approved a motion to study a potential merge.

The Local Finance Board denied the request to mutually study a merge.

With the bill signed, there are no barriers to studying consolidation, Greenwald and Lampitt’s Communications Director Brian McGinnis said.

“It doesn’t have to be the same way in both towns. This bill clarifies it,” McGinnis said. “They may obtain approval by any combination. It allows you to mix and match.”

Lampitt said she is pleased with the governor’s decision to sign the bill and take action.

“This really sums up the voters’ needs,” Lampitt said. “The goal is not to continue roadblocks and it’s not about dismantling towns. It’s about seamless delivery to all Zip codes.”

Keashen said Cherry Hill’s next move is to file an application with the Department of Community Affairs and the Local Finance Board to pursue a joint study.

“The mayor, he believes this is the right thing to do, to have a study,” Keashen said. “This bill chipped away at rigidness, and we’ll ultimately be more productive.”