To the Editor:

Official consolidation of the Princetons will not occur until January 1 of next year, but we are already facing our financial future as one community because we are now irrevocably bound to one another. What the Borough does will directly impact the Township taxpayer and vice versa. As such, Borough Council and Township Committee should be acting in even closer consultation when making decisions that have a long-term financial impact.

Borough Council is now independently considering an ordinance that would create a new right-of-way on that portion of the Dinky tracks that are to be removed when the University moves the station 460 feet south. If the right of way is formalized, it will probably require the immediate payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the University from the Borough, and potentially millions of dollars if the small tract of land is to be acquired. All of this will do nothing to prohibit the University from moving the terminus further south.

I count myself among the many who don’t like the University’s plan to move the Dinky further from the downtown, but I also think that the Borough and Township negotiated a very reasonable compromise with the University as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU was agreed to by the Borough Council, Township Committee, and Princeton University. It should thus be honored in good faith.

It is time for our municipal legislators to step up the level of coordination and cooperation — especially when it comes to decisions that could have a large financial impact on the entire community. It is also time for our elected officials to find ways to create a more professional dialogue with Princeton University and I aim to do that as a member of the new council in 2013.

Scott Sillars
Democratic Party Candidate for Council, Battle Road