The fiscal health of Merchantville borough and the school sending district were lead factors in the formation of the independent 10-member Cherry Hill-Merchantville Consolidation Commission, said the commission’s Vice Chairman, Rich James of Merchantville.
Earlier in the month, Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn said in a statement that he would not commit taxpayer dollars to fund a study to see if the merger would be beneficial.
“With that said, it is certainly the commission’s right to independently seek funding and study the issue if they so choose,” said Cahn. “In that case, I would absolutely be willing to review the results of that study, if and when it might be presented to me. Ultimately, the decision to consolidate would rest in the hands of the people of Cherry Hill and Merchantville.”
The borough of Merchantville is also uninterested in funding the study, James said.
A request for proposal (RFP) would need to be sent, he explained, and it would be unrealistic for the all-volunteer commission to fund it due to the financial liability.
“We need some agency or organization to say it’s a good idea to find out the facts,” he said. “We don’t have insurance like the boroughs do.”
The commission consists of five Merchantville residents and five Cherry Hill residents, including Cherry Hill Board of Education President Seth Klukoff.
According to Klukoff, the commission is currently on a hiatus.
The challenge they are facing, he said, is identifying other sources of funding for the RFP and ultimately the study.
There have been discussions surrounding a potential merger for 10 to 15 years off and on, he said.
“It’s not over,” said James.
In Merchantville, he explained, there has been concern over the financial stability of the borough, citing that the council there has been taking out of surplus to meet budgetary requirements. In addition, there have been qualms surrounding the sending and receiving district situation with nearby Pennsauken.
Cherry Hill Schools, he said, have better ratings.
If a merger were to ever occur, James believes that Merchantville would be considered a section of Cherry Hill, similar to Barclay Farms and Kingston.
“That’s how people identify themselves because of the more local associations,” he said, adding that what makes a community is the people, not the name.
In his statement, Cahn mentioned the potential for shared services opportunities with Merchantville.
“At this time, my administration is focused on working with Merchantville to identify shared service opportunities that would benefit both of our communities moving forward,” he said.
However, potential opportunities are only preliminary, said township spokeswoman Bridget Palmer.
“We have preliminarily discussed a few areas that could potentially make sense for shared services; however, because those discussions are preliminary, I cannot offer any additional or specific information at this time,” Palmer said.
The process has been long and involved, James said, but if funding is provided, the commission will continue their efforts.
“The commission is ready and willing to move forward at this point,” he said.
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