Group holds off releasing report

Residents from Sussex and Wantage will have to wait until April 1 to see the findings of a revised report submitted last week by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) about a possible municipal consolidation of the two communities. The report was turned over to the Sussex-Wantage Joint Consolidation Study Commission. Despite the protestations of William Gettler, president of the Wantage Township Taxpayers Association, to make the document available to the public, members of the 10-person consolidation study commission have decided not to release the report until they’ve each had a chance to review the information for accuracy, said Earl Snook, chairman of the study group. The commission’s next meeting will be held April 1 at 7 p.m. at Sussex Borough Hall. Like all of its gatherings, the meeting is open to the public. At one of the group’s previous meetings, Gettler had questioned the accuracy of some of the financial information disclosed by DCA officials. After researching Gettler’s claims, DCA submitted a revised report with updated financial information to the study commission last week, said consolidation study commission member Chuck McKay. The study commission is required to submit its own report to residents of both towns by May 1. That report will answer the question of whether the commission members have found that municipal consolidation makes sense, based on research it has received from DCA and an independent consultant. If the commission recommends that the two governments combine, residents from the both towns will vote on a referendum in November. If one town votes down consolidation, then the matter will be closed, at least for the time being. What’s next? April 1: Commission meeting open to the public, 7 p.m., Sussex Borough Hall DCA revised report made public May 1: Commission submits its own report on consolidation to the public