Letter to the Editor: Cranbury Press wrong on Mergers

[Jay T]

Please see below a letter to the editor that David Cook and I co-authored in response to the editorial in the Cranbury Press last week concerning the need for Municipal Consolidation. (http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2009/12/17/cranbury_press/your_views/doc4b2aba57bce01332237331.txt)

LETTERS: Cranbury Press wrong on mergers
Thursday, December 17, 2009 6:31 PM EST

It is disheartening to see The Cranbury Press continue to print editorials advocating for the requirement of municipal and school consolidation when it means that towns like Cranbury would cease to exist.

Similar to your past editorials, the editorial of Dec. 11 sought to advance the cause of forced consolidation as a primary means to reduce property taxes. Unique to this editorial was the supposed voter support based upon a Quinnipiac University poll. For those who have not seen the poll (www.quinnipiac.edu/x1299.xml?ReleaseID=1399), it stated that 73 percent of New Jersey voters support municipal and school consolidation. What the editorial failed to mention is that the Quinnipiac University poll based their results on a survey of 0.02 percent of residents in New Jersey and failed to disclose the towns or cities in which these individuals were located. The question itself also was flawed if the intent was to show support for state-mandated consolidation. The question asked, “Would you support or oppose merging school districts or governments in the county in which you live if it meant lowering your property taxes?” As the editorial mentions, and as we concur, the numbers would likely change if the question were based on the town in which the person polled resided.

We do believe that towns can benefit from shared services, but that can be accomplished without forced consolidation. In fact, Cranbury has a solid history of utilizing shared services agreements to our benefit. For example, we have shared services agreements with other municipalities for our high school, 911 services, municipal court, municipal vehicle repairs, sewers and with the county for social/senior services, hazardous waste and our health officer.

From a property tax perspective, Cranbury receives little in the way of state aid — approximately 6 percent of our municipal budget and 4.5 percent of our school budget. Yet, on a municipal level, 9 percent of our 2009 budget was allocated to unfunded state mandates. To give some background, these expenses in 2000 were just under $200,000 and by 2009 they had grown to over $1 million. Therefore, one of the arguments that the paper should be making in the interest of property tax relief is whether the unfunded state mandates are appropriate to all towns in the state and to what extent are these mandates are appropriate for towns like Cranbury.

Further, The Cranbury Press, in a rush to advocate the quick fix, fails to consider the impact of the change on the community itself. Our town has a rich history, a historic village, solid land preservation practices and has done well to attract commercial ratables. We have been able to preserve much of our past due to the fact that we are a small community with individuals who are vested in our town. These efforts would be for naught if our township were forced to consolidate.

The Cranbury School is one of only nine schools in the state to be awarded Blue Ribbon status and this is not the first time that we have won this prestigious award. This status is as beneficial to our children as it is to our property values. Should the Cranbury School district be consolidated, it is unlikely that we would be able to keep our school operating at the level we have come to expect. It would also likely result in a decrease in our property values.

Rather than advocating for state-mandated consolidation, The Cranbury Press should be advocating for the preservation and rewarding of towns like Cranbury, which are exploring voluntary agreements and who have residents that are active in their community. We certainly believe that property taxes need to be controlled and kept in check, but we do not believe that the extinction of our town is a valid solution.

David Cook

Jay Taylor

Cranbury

Mr. Cook and Mr. Taylor are Township Committeemen-elect in Cranbury

[Guest]

Well said. Perhaps Cranbury Township should reconsider it's position as the leading advertiser in the Cranbury Press.

[Guest]

I agree - an excellent letter. Let's hope they print it.