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NJ looks to Massachusetts to map end of county government |
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Reformers seek Senator Moore’s guidance |
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MONTCLAIR, NJ, November 30, 3005 - Civic activists and municipal leaders in Essex County, New Jersey have been frustrated by the increasing burden of county government in their state. They organized the Essex County Committee to Change County Government, and they want to know how Massachusetts was able to eliminate or reform county government in all but six of the original fourteen counties in the late 1990’s. The League of Women Voters of the Montclair Area and the Change County Government Steering Committee will co-sponsor an educational meeting entitled "The Massachusetts Experience: Ending County Government” on November 30th. Massachusetts State Senator Richard T. Moore will be the featured speaker at the forum in the Cedar Grove Township Town Hall sponsored by the League and the Committee to Change County Government. Senator Moore, who chaired the Legislature’s Committee on Counties in the late 1990’s was, along with then-Senate Ways and Means Chairman Stanley Rosenberg, the principal architect of legislative efforts to abolish county government in the Bay State. Moore’s and Rosenberg’s efforts saved property taxpayers in many parts of Massachusetts hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded pension liability and elimination of county spending. It eliminated an archaic and unnecessary level of government that dated back to colonial times. Since 1999, in addition to being relieved on millions of dollars in pension funding, the thirteen Worcester County towns in Moore’s Senate District have saved an estimated additional $170,000 that would have been assessed if county government was still in business. “This savings meant real reform for local property taxpayers in my district,” Senator Moore explained. Senator Moore’s visit to New Jersey is part of that state’s efforts to reform or abolish county government. The Change County Government Steering Committee has been investigating the desirability and possibilities involved in effecting a change in county government. The formation of this committee was sparked by the recent ballot referendums to study secession from Essex County in the communities of Montclair, Milburn, Verona and Cedar Grove. For the past year, official representatives and other leaders of several towns within Essex County, New Jersey have been meeting monthly to discuss how they can better coordinate efforts to stabilize taxes and improve services in the 21 Essex County municipalities with an emphasis on the size and cost of county government. Many of the towns have been looking at this issue via referendums and legal action. The Massachusetts efforts at reform and the abolition of Worcester County are relevant issues for study by people in New Jersey. Essex County, New Jersey has about the same size population as Worcester County in Massachusetts. New Jersey is often compared in size and population to the Bay State. In his remarks, Senator Moore will explain his leadership role in county government abolition. As the new Chairman of Counties after his election to the Senate in 1996, Senator Moore, a Democrat, joined with Republican Senator Arthur Chase in a bi-partisan push to abolish or reform county government. Encouraged by Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg (D-Amherst) then-Chair of the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senator Moore initiated the first serious efforts to abolish county government. The fact that Moore’s own Worcester County and neighboring Middlesex County were on the verge of bankruptcy added fuel to the fight. Although Senator Chase left the Senate in an unsuccessful run for County Treasurer and Senator Moore moved to the chairmanship of another committee at the start of the 1997-1998 session, the issue of county government abolition had been firmly established. Senator Moore agreed to work with Senator Rosenberg to promote abolition of county government in the new session and newly- elected Senator Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), who succeeded Moore as chair of Counties Committee, agreed to work with Rosenberg and Moore on the reform initiative as the new term unfolded. Subsequently, with Middlesex and Worcester Counties on the verge of bankruptcy, Senator Rosenberg decided to make abolition of counties a major theme of the Senate’s FY 1998 state budget. He used a bill filed by Senator Moore to abolish county government to provide a framework for the budget rider. Senator Moore, along with Senator Brewer, worked on refining the language of the budget sections dealing with county government reform. After a long, and sometimes arduous, legislative battle, the political landscape was redrawn as all but three of the original 14 counties were abolished or dramatically changed. Middlesex, Worcester, Essex, Suffolk, Hamden, Berkshire, Dukes and Nantucket county governments were abolished. Franklin and Hampshire counties were reorganized into locally directed councils of government, Barnstable County government was converted to the Cape Cod Commission. Only Plymouth, Bristol and Norfolk counties were unchanged. New Jersey leaders want to learn more about the effects of abolition of county government as well as the other forms that were created such as the council of government and the Cape Cod Commission. At the meeting, Senator Moore will also discuss a report that he prepared detailing the political process, the obstacles, and the options for reform. More information on Senator Moore’s issues can be obtained by checking his web site www.senatormoore.com. |
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