The consolidation effort between Princeton Borough and Princeton Township will net $3.2 million in annual savings once the plan is fully implemented. That savings is just from personnel consolidation. Other significant savings are expected from combining operating budgets and removing contracted services.
App.com goes into detail the process of Princeton’s consolidation including the positive vote last November after five decades of attempts were voted down. The article was written by the Mayor of Princeton Township, Chad Goerner, who will no longer have a job once the consolidation is completed.
Goerner gives much credit to a 2007 Act that offered flexibility in study a merger including the sharing of debt and neighborhood preservation. In addition to hiring an independent consultant, elected officials and citizen representatives were included as part of a commission.
Transparency, outreach and continuous communication with citizens were a critical part of the program’s success.