By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton officials have not decided what salaries or other benefits the mayor and the six members of the council will receive in the consolidated government.
The governing body, due to be chosen at the general election Nov. 6, also would be eligible for health benefits and inclusion in the state pension plan.
The question about salaries will not be officially decided until officials take office in January and vote, although they could come to a meeting of the minds before then.
In 2011, the Consolidation Study Commission recommended that the mayor and six council members of the merged town be paid at the current borough rates — resulting in an annual recurring savings of $61,000. The two Princetons pay their politicians different amounts.
Township Mayor Chad Goerner gets $12,291 annually, while the four other members of Township Committee get $10,224 each, records showed.
By comparison, Borough Mayor Yina Moore earns $15,000, and the six members of Borough Council get $7,500 each.
Township Committeeman Bernard P. Miller, a candidate for new council in the upcoming election, said Wednesday that using the borough rate is “certainly agreeable to me.”
Mr. Miller said he does not get health coverage through the township, although he said he is in the pension system.
Township Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert, the Democrat running for mayor in November, said Wednesday that officials probably would follow the recommendation of the study commission, mindful of meeting the financial savings targets laid out in the commission’s report.
Borough Councilwoman Jo S. Butler said Wednesday that she expects the salary issue would be included as part of a recommendation to the joint governing bodies about reconciling salaries of municipal employees.
For his part, Mark Freda, chairman of the Transition Task Force, said Wednesday that the issue is not on the task force’s “radar.”
”Nobody’s in it for the money,” Ms. Butler said in a phone interview.
Ms. Butler, who is running this year to be on the governing body of the merged town, said she would agree to keep her salary the same.
Yet she noted there are financial demands that come with the job. She said officials are expected to attend a lot of events through the year.
In most cases, towns compensate the members of their local governing bodies, said Michael Darcy, assistant executive director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, in a phone interview Wednesday. Amounts can vary, however.
Lawrence Township, for example, pays its mayor $13,724; council members get $10,596 each for what are deemed part-time jobs, records showed Wednesday.
In Plainsboro, the mayor gets $15,717 and the members of the Township Committee get $10,673.
By comparison, members of local school boards are unpaid.

