40:43-66.36 - Legislative findings and declarations - New Jersey Statutes

40:43-66.36.  Legislative findings and declarations    The Legislature hereby finds and declares that it is in the public interest  to encourage contiguous municipalities to consider consolidation as a means of  insuring more rational control of growth and development, more efficient  provision of local services and more effective public administration;  that the  existing laws of this State are inadequate to encourage local consideration of  consolidation in many instances where such action might be desirable;  and,  that the State should provide technical and financial assistance to encourage  such consideration in those instances where it may be appropriate, and where  voluntarily agreed to by the municipalities involved.

    The Legislature further declares that, since political and administrative consolidation of separate municipalities is an act of high public importance to  which are attached many unforeseen difficulties and obstacles, the successful  completion of a plan of consolidation, once approved by a vote of the residents  of the municipalities involved, shall constitute a public purpose of this  State;  and, therefore, that the grant of powers under this act is intended to  be as broad as is consistent with the Constitution of New Jersey and with  general law relating to local government, and shall be construed as liberally  as possible in regard to the consolidated municipality's right to organize its  own form of government, to organize its structure and to alter or abolish  previously existing municipal agencies, subject to the general mandate of  performing services and to the provisions of the plan of consolidation approved  by the voters.

     L.1977, c. 435, s. 2, eff. March 1, 1978.