Atlantic City Council President Wants To Shrink Size Of City Council
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- Atlantic City's been told to pare down the size and cost of its government, or risk a state takeover this fall.
The President of City Council has come up with one way to do that. Marty Small has quietly suggested this for a year. Now he's talking publicly about it.
"I'm proposing to reduce the number of council members from 9 members to 7," Small told KYW Newsradio. "Have 6 wards and one at large which virtually eliminates 2 council at large positions effective the next election."
That would be in the fall of 2017, when the at large posts are up. The move would save about a half million dollars over a four-year term and, perhaps, make a point in Trenton.
"It will go along with Senate President Sweeney and Governor Christie's mission of right sizing government, making government more thorough and efficient and, more importantly, more fiscally prudent," Small said.
State law would allow the reduction, if they went to 4 wards and 3 at large. Small doesn't see that as practical since that would require redistricting, which would cost money Atlantic City does not have.
So council will vote tonight on asking for state permission to place a ballot question before voters this November to approve this change.
There are suggestions in some circles that Small is making the suggestion, in part, because the current three at large council members often vote in unison on issues that Small and others on council support. The council President scoffed at the idea, insisting this is not personal. It's just a way to cut costs.