"Home Rule" -- These are two words that have held NJ back
for decades. Ask a Mayor why they can’t
share major services; "Home Rule". Ask
anyone in the state why municipal consolidation will not happen and the
response is "Home Rule". Why are these
two words so effective in stopping change?
Home Rule is created by 565 arbitrary boundary lines that create
an Us vs. Them mentality. These town
lines were created for reasons that we can’t remember and are not relevant
today. Do we want to pay the price for
the arbitrary borders that were made over 100 years ago?
Home Rule has forced us into tiny, inefficient towns. Towns around the state are facing massive
sewage, road, water, transportation and infrastructure issues. Dwindling surpluses leave towns in a precarious
condition. With the 2% cap, numerous state
mandates and stagnant state funding, our local governments have little real
control.
Home Rule forces us to address these issues piecemeal. The problems facing NJ and municipalities
cannot be addressed by 565 mostly weak and small governments competing against
each other for diminishing resources.
Home Rule – Two words that continue the escalation of property
taxes, weaken our ability to address our aging infrastructure and stifle
innovation. These two words prevent
finding any regional approaches to our problems. These two words complicate economic
development and make it hard for businesses to do business in New Jersey.
What other two words could open the door to possibilities? "Better Together" (It’s a great book by the
way.) Together we can create larger, stronger
local governments. We can use the
savings from consolidation and regionalization to pay for infrastructure improvements,
make transportation issues easier and reduce the number of people in our
stressed pension system.
If we come together, we will have options available. We can use innovation to solve problems and
create a sustainable future.
Home Rule or Better Together? Which two words do you choose?
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