By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
The Transition Task Force (TTF) endorsed a $60,000 proposal for support and assistance with facilitating the consolidation of the two Princetons at its meeting on Wednesday night.
The contract with the Center for Government Research (CGR) would include support and reporting services for the TTF as it works through the logistics of bringing Princeton Borough and Princeton Township together to create a new municipality on Jan. 1, 2013.
The first part would be for project management support to establish timelines, maintain accountability, identify issues goals of tasks and prioritize tasks, said Scott Sillars, TTF vice chair.
The second part of its work would be staff support for the TTF.
”This is doing both initializing through an initial working orientation session for the entire Transition Task Force to bring us more in tune with what the consolidation commission produced by way of their conclusions,” said Mr. Sillars. “In addition to helping us with additional financial analysis, maintain the website and facilitate our outreach effort.”
Rochester, N.Y.-based CGR was the outside agency hired by the Princetons to support the Joint Shared Services Consolidation Commission in its work to make a consolidation recommendation and craft a roadmap for the merging of the two municipalities.
Those services cost $76,000, what the commission budgeted for that item.
”The commission budgeted $76,00 and we spent $76,000,” said Anton Lahston, chair of the commission. “That was the best value we could get from a consulting firm.”
The initial contract proposal from CGR was not to exceed $82,000 based on 400 hours of work with full services through December.
”In their proposal they had given us full services through December,” said Mark Freda, TTF chair. “We figured if we’re going full speed through December there’s a problem, there would be no time left for the governing bodies to get a recommendation from us and act on it. So we cut November and December out and cut October in half. We scaled back.”
The TTF will be going back with a not-to-exceed $62,000 proposal that includes $60,000 for 300 hours of work and $2,000 for travel expenses. “I know we’ve got the flexibility,” said Mr. Sillars. “They are very keen to work with us.”
TTF member Jim Levine asked how this figure would fit into the task force’s overall budget, which was $50,000.
”The $50,000 was an initial forecast of a budget,” said Mr. Freda. “I think the two governing bodies and two administrators have indicated the town governing bodies were looking for us to come back with actual costs based on talking to people, so I don’t think the $50,000 was a hard cap, but obviously the governing bodies have to weigh in on it. We are making a recommendation tonight and they have to approve it.”
There is a meeting of the joint governing bodies at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Township Municipal Complex.

