Survey's in the mail

Academics seek to understand why Wantage voters rejected consolidation Wantage — Voters in Wantage Township who participated in the Nov. 3 referendum about the proposed consolidation between Wantage Township and Sussex Borough will be receiving a survey in the mail from Rutgers-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration. The 4,015 township voters defeated the proposed consolidation by a margin of 3 to 1, leaving little doubt about their lack of support for consolidation. Members of the Rutgers program, known as SPAA, have studied consolidation in local governments for many years; SPAA is home to the Shared Services Institute and according to its director, John C. Fry, they believe “that there is ambiguity about the reasons behind the vote.” In a press release about the survey mailing, Fry says: “Both the conventional wisdom and the academic literature seem not to address all of the reasons that have been offered since the referendum, both in presentations following the vote and from individuals who opposed consolidation. The survey is an attempt to set the record straight and provide the best information possible to New Jersey as it tries to solve the high cost of government.” After all the information has been analyzed, the Shared Services Institute will publish a report of the results that will be distributed to Wantage Township offices, as well as those of Sussex County, the governor, the state legislature, the New Jersey Local Unit Alignment Reorganization, and the County of Sussex. The report will also be available on the Web site of the National Center for Public Performance at www.ncpp.us. The project directors anticipate the report will be available in May 2010.