Governor Jon Corzine (D-NJ) has been pushing to consolidate services among municipalities since he took office more than a year ago.

Since the beginning of his administration, Corzine has vowed to cut government excess. Corzine says there are many layers of government delivering too many similar services in New Jersey. His administration has suggested consolidating services such as fire departments, school administrations and public works departments. According to Corzine, consolidating services is a way to cut spending and eliminate government waste.

A number of bills have been drawn up that spell out how the consolidation will start. One of the bills includes establishing committees to recommend where services can be cut and merged. The bills could be passed as early as next Monday, January 8.