Poll: Why Does NJ Pay More for Local Government?

A new study claims that New Jersey residents pay almost $700 per year more for government services than do the residents of Pennsylvania or Connecticut, because the state has so many inefficient local governments.

But attempts to consolidate local governments and services have rarely been successful.

For example, last year's decision to move the Point Beach municipal court to Point Borough has proven costly because Point Beach has had to pay overtime to police officers to be at court in Point Borough.

With the court in Point Beach, the town can use special police officers, who are paid less, for court.

A pending proposal is to move the Point Beach court back to Point Beach, but to also have the two towns continue to share personnel, with the staff working out of the Beach or the Borough on their respective municipal court days.

A majority of the members of both borough councils, and a state Superior Court judge, would have to approve the proposal.

There is an unrelated pending proposal for Point Borough to contract to have the Brick Public Works Department pick up the borough's trash and recycling. Both towns would have to agree.

So why is it that consolidation attempts don't work more often? What is it about a small local government that you like?

Click here to read the study.