Nobody is sure exactly how to do it - and no wonder.
The merging of municipalities in a state where there are 566 is rare. New Jersey has had only two mergers in 60 years.
So officials and residents of tiny Merchantville Borough and its much larger neighbor Cherry Hill Township are taking it slowly.
Hundreds of Merchantville residents signed petitions over the spring and summer asking for a study, and both municipalities passed resolutions calling for an exploration of the pros and cons.
Now, a citizens group plans hearings this month and next, and the two mayors will meet Nov. 4 with officials from the state Departments of Education and Community Affairs to discuss the issues further.
But there's a long way to go, maybe a couple of years. Even if a study is completed and shared with the public, voters must approve the merger. Then would come the work of bringing together communities that have their own administrations, school districts, and police and municipal services.
"This is a process that will take time; it won't happen overnight," said Bob Stocker, a borough resident who helped lead the petition drive and a member of Merchantville Connecting for the Future, a nonprofit exploring the merger possibility.
"You're creating a new township that would include Merchantville," said Stocker, 36. "Little would change, but we have to explore it to learn more."
Originally known as Delaware Township, Cherry Hill received its current name in 1961, when residents chose it in a nonbinding referendum.
Merchantville long ago was part of Delaware Township. It was incorporated as a borough in 1874 by an act of the Legislature.
Members of Merchantville Connecting for the Future are hoping to reunite the communities using 2007 municipal-consolidation legislation that grants residents the same power as elected officials to pursue a merger.
At the same time, borough officials are exploring the issue and have appointed a committee to seek a study to work with Cherry Hill, which has yet to choose its committee members.
There's precedent for merging. Nearly 60 years ago, Vineland Borough and Landis Township formed Vineland City. And in 1997, Pahaquarry Township, Warren County, population six, was absorbed by neighboring Hardwick Township.
The process of bringing municipalities together, though, is unfamiliar to most officials.
"It's confusing," Merchantville Mayor Frank North said. "When you get too many cooks in the pot, you have a problem.
