Bill Text: NJ A212 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Consolidates all "doughnut municipalities" and "doughnut-hole municipalities" within 10 years.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-16 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [A212 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A212-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Consolidates all "doughnut municipalities" and "doughnut-hole municipalities" within 10 years.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act consolidating various municipalities.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. For the purposes of this act:
"Doughnut municipality" means a municipality that completely surrounds another municipality. A municipality shall be considered a doughnut municipality even though a portion of its boundary does not completely surround another municipality due to the presence of a body of water or the boundary of another state.
"Doughnut-hole municipality" means a municipality that is completely surrounded by one other municipality. A municipality shall be considered a doughnut-hole municipality if a portion of its boundary is contiguous with a body of water or the boundary of another state, as long as the remainder of its boundary is contiguous with only one other New Jersey municipality.
2. a. All doughnut municipalities shall be consolidated with their corresponding doughnut-hole municipalities or, alternatively, enter into shared services agreements for every major municipal service and function, as determined by regulations promulgated by the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, within 10 years following the effective date of this act.
b. A doughnut or doughnut-hole municipality that is scheduled for consolidation within the 10-year period under a consolidation plan approved pursuant to the "Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act," sections 1 through 35 of P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-1 through C.40A:65-35), or any other law, shall be exempt from the requirements of subsection a. of this section.
3. The Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs shall provide such assistance as may be necessary to effectuate these municipal consolidations, and to establish local governments for each new municipality, in a manner that conforms, whenever possible, to the provisions of sections 26 through 29 of P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-26 through C.40A:65-29).
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that all doughnut municipalities be consolidated with their corresponding doughnut-hole municipalities or, alternatively, enter into shared services agreements for every major municipal service and function, as determined by regulations promulgated by the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, within 10 years following the effective date of the bill. A doughnut or doughnut-hole municipality that is scheduled for consolidation within the 10-year period under a consolidation plan approved pursuant to the "Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act," sections 1 through 35 of P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-1 through C.40A:65-35), or any other law shall be exempt from consolidation under this bill.
For the purposes of this bill, "doughnut municipality" means a municipality that completely surrounds another municipality. A municipality shall be considered a doughnut municipality even though a portion of its boundary does not completely surround another municipality due to the presence of a body of water or the boundary of another state. "Doughnut-hole municipality" means a municipality that is completely surrounded by one other municipality. A municipality shall be considered a doughnut-hole municipality if a portion of its boundary is contiguous with a body of water or the boundary of another state, as long as the remainder of its boundary is contiguous with only one other New Jersey municipality.
The bill provides that the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs shall provide such assistance as may be necessary to effectuate these municipal consolidations, and to establish local governments for each new municipality, in a manner that conforms, whenever possible, to the provisions of sections 26 through 29 of P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-26 through C.40A:65-29).
These consolidations are intended to reduce local tax rates through economies of scale and administrative consolidation.
