Bill Text: NJ S3226 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires consolidation of municipalities with populations under 1,000 persons.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-12-03 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S3226 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S3226-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Requires consolidation of municipalities with populations under 1,000 persons.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring certain municipal consolidations and supplementing P.L.2007, c.54 (C.52:27D-501 et al.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A municipality with a population of less than 1,000 persons according to the most recent federal decennial census shall be subject to a consolidation pursuant to this section.
b. A municipality subject to this section shall either:
(1) complete a consolidation pursuant to any statute governing municipal consolidation; or
(2) adopt and file with the commission a resolution requesting the commission to order a consolidation. The request may include any preferences or priorities for consideration by the commission in rendering its consolidation decision.
c. (1) If a municipality that is subject to this section on the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) fails to comply with subsection b. of this section within two years of that effective date, the municipality shall be subject to the provisions of subsection d. of this section.
(2) If a municipality that becomes subject to this section after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) fails to comply with subsection b. of this section within two years of the publication of the applicable federal decennial census results, the municipality shall be subject to the provisions of subsection d. of this section.
d. If a municipality fails to comply with subsection b. of this section within the applicable timeframe established by subsection c. of this section, the commission shall forthwith order a consolidation of the municipality.
e. The commission shall base any consolidation decisions under this section on an analysis that includes, but is not limited to, the criteria that govern a study examining consolidation set forth in subsection b. of section 5 of P.L.2007, c.54 (C.52:27D-505). If a consolidation is requested pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection b. of this section, this analysis shall also include any preferences or priorities included in the request.
f. A consolidation under this section shall be of two or more municipalities within the same county and the same legislative district. The new consolidated municipality shall have a continuous boundary and a population of at least 1,000 persons.
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the consolidation of municipalities with populations of less than 1,000 persons into more highly populated municipalities. The consolidation of less populated municipalities would help reduce the State's high property taxes by mandating greater economies of scale in the delivery of municipal government services.
Under the bill, municipalities would have a two-year period within which to either effectuate a consolidation on their own or request the "Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization, and Consolidation Commission" ("LUARCC") to order a consolidation. If a request is made to LUARCC, the municipality may identify in the request any preferences or priorities it would like considered as part of the consolidation determination. If a municipality fails to take either of these required actions within the two-year period, LUARCC would order the consolidation of the municipality.
If LUARCC orders a consolidation, the decision on how to effectuate it would based on the criteria that LUARCC must employ under current law in a study examining consolidation. If LUARCC orders a consolidation based on a request by a municipality within the two-year timeframe, LUARCC would also have to consider any preferences or priorities identified in the request.
A consolidation required under the bill would have to be of two or more municipalities in the same county and legislative district. A new consolidated municipality would have to have uninterrupted, continuous borders and a population of at least 1,000 persons.
