| Author | Message | ||
     Othello&Elvis Citizen Username: Pseudoah2 Post Number: 101 Registered: 5-2003 |
Ok..I know this is going to open up a great deal of frcition but I live in Maplewood and know am looking longingly at South Orange as a new residence. South Orange seems hipper, seems like more older cooler looking houses and seems more relaxed...any thoughts? | ||
| Brett Weir Citizen Username: Brett_weir Post Number: 652 Registered: 4-2004 |
Apples and oranges. Many similarities and many differences. If you can afford either town, you can't really go wrong- they are both beautiful and offer a great deal. | ||
| Strings Supporter Username: Blue_eyes Post Number: 520 Registered: 4-2004  |
I grew up in Maplewood and was always partial to Maplewood as a kid... I moved to South Orange after college and now wouldn't think about going back to Maplewood (sorry mom, I know you read this!)... Brett's right though, and you'll definitely get lots of different opinions. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 7420 Registered: 1-2003  |
What are some of the differences? | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1136 Registered: 3-2003 |
People in Maplewood are more vocal about taxes than people in South Orange (except for me and Woodstock, who moved). I'm serious. I call it the "South Orange gene." It seems that SO residents just accept the high taxes and don't complain about them. Maybe complaining wouldn't do any good. Nevertheless, that's the South Orange gene. | ||
| MHD Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 2513 Registered: 5-2001  |
Maplewood has a far "quainter" downtown. South Orange has more "Coming Soon" signs.  | ||
| sac Supporter Username: Sac Post Number: 2252 Registered: 5-2001 |
I think that it might be smart to reserve judgement regarding South Orangers (-ites?) talking about taxes until after their reval. | ||
| Two Sense Citizen Username: Twosense Post Number: 196 Registered: 7-2004 |
Red town vs. blue town -- need one say more? | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1137 Registered: 3-2003 |
sac- You're right. But what people don't understand is that it's not the reval that's the problem, it's the taxes. | ||
| Pizzaz Citizen Username: Pizzaz Post Number: 1903 Registered: 11-2001  |
Politically, both blue. | ||
| jayjay Citizen Username: Jayjayp Post Number: 13 Registered: 6-2005 |
I've wondered for a long time why the two towns don't simply merge and save us taxpayers all the administrative costs that come with duplication of functions. The school system is already one, and that's the hard part. Everything else should be easy. If companies can do it, why can't towns? I wonder how you start such a process. From what i see, the towns are much more similar than different, and consildation seems like a natural. | ||
| mjc Citizen Username: Mjc Post Number: 650 Registered: 10-2004 |
jayjay, I'm with you on this one. It should save a bunch of money (and actually, SOers do complain about taxes), but I'm guessing it would happen when hell freezes over. | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1140 Registered: 3-2003 |
jay - This is being discussed. Take a look at the Maplewood Democratic Primary Debate thread, Mr. Grodman's response to question 1, last paragraph. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 7429 Registered: 1-2003 |
The Maplewood township committee is going to investigate merging some services. One possibility is to entertain the thought of merging the towns entirely. I think it's worth looking at. Of course, there will be winners and losers, and the people who are likely to lose will fight this proposal. We were one town in the past. | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 1982 Registered: 4-2002 |
Tom: Actually, So. Orange and Maplewood have been meeting together on the issue of shared services and the possiblity of consolidating the towns. For a lot of reasons, it is not as easy as a corporate merger but that is not to say it can't be done. We hire an outside consultant (most of the funds come from a grant) to give us a report. We expect that he will make a presentation in the near future. We will then have to decide how (and if) we want to proceed. | ||
| peteglider Citizen Username: Peteglider Post Number: 1194 Registered: 8-2002 |
Consolidation? I can't believe it would EVER happen. Sharing of services, perhaps. Some reasons: 1) If there is ANY chance that this lessen the support given to Essex county politicians -- the external pressure will be extreme to not consolidate. 2) There is already the feeling that South Orange bears more than its fair share of school funding between the two towns. Consolidating wouldn't change that. 3) South Orange PILOTs work in part because of the school funding formula (in other words, Maplewood helps pay for *our* PILOTS through increased school taxes). When I lived in Princeton -- which is 2 towns -- the *borough* and the *township* discussed these issues ad infinatum. For decades consolidation has been rejected. Yet police, schools, public works *are* shared. I believe people are very hesitant to give up power and control and very much hang onto what they are comfortable with vs. the unknown. Pete | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 1983 Registered: 4-2002 |
Pete: For the most part I agree with you but it was put on the table for discussion. In the end, I would expect that we can figure out how to share services. The expected savings of shared services is less than most think, but with taxes as high as ours, we need to do whatever we can. | ||
| Pizzaz Citizen Username: Pizzaz Post Number: 1904 Registered: 11-2001 |
Pete: Maplewood is planning up to $300 million in redevelopment (piloted projects). What are you saying about school funding formulas? I'm in full support of merging administrative and service aspects of government. In fact, let's begin with Maplewood and move on. The fact that we have 589 municipalities in this small state is ridiculous. Furthermore, county government services need to be merged at the state level. As for local representation, those issues need further definition and clarification. From a position of voicing public concerns, in my opinion, we need what California has and that is Initiative & Referendum. | ||
| peteglider Citizen Username: Peteglider Post Number: 1196 Registered: 8-2002 |
Pizzaz -- *Part* of the reason we in SO benefit from PILOTs is that the piloted properties "come off" the tax rolls. So -- they contribute no tax $$ to the schools. And since Pilots go only to the town and county -- SO as a whole pays less in school taxes. By a small percentage the burden shifts to Maplewood (as I recall, maybe $50k or $100k a year). (I can't find the Pilot spreadsheets anymore -- or this would be easier to show than describe!). That said -- if Maplewood does more Pilots than SO -- then ultimately there is no benefit to our town. Odd, isn't it. Pete | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1142 Registered: 3-2003 |
Pizazz - I agree with you 100%. Just as important, Allan Karcher wrote a book (I can't remember the title) where he says that one of the primary reasons for so much corruption in N.J. is that there are so many municipalities with so many people in positions of power and authority. In the wake of the Monmouth County corruption scandal, the same thing was being said. There just can't be that many competent individuals which are required to govern 529 municipalites. Something to think about. |
