Too small to exist? NJ group wants to get rid of these 200 towns

So-long, Ho-Ho-Kus.

See ya later, Sea Bright.

And pack it up, Walpack — population approximately sixteen, give or take one or two.

Those are just some of the 188 or so municipalities that would be wiped out as independent entities if the state were to force towns with fewer than 5,000 residents to merge with their neighbors.

(See the list and map below.)

The recommendation was listed in a draft report to lawmakers by a bipartisan group that Senate President Steve Sweeney empaneled to find ways to reduce the cost of government and find new sources of revenue.

The suggested recommendations by the Economic & Fiscal Policy Workgroup also include adding new tolls on interstates, creating regional school districts and police departments, capping sick-leave payouts for public workers at $7,500, and creating a circuit-breaker property tax relief program based on homeowner income.

But perhaps the most controversial proposal in the four-page document might be forcing the merger of municipalities in a state has been known for creating more, not fewer, municipalities and layers of government.

New Jersey municipalities number 565 — each with their own mayor and legislative bodies and administrators.

Some towns are so tiny, it's worth asking why they exist.

Tavistock (population of five) and Pine Valley, with a whopping 12 people, are little more than golf courses. Teterboro, population 69, is mostly an airport.

It may have seemed like a no-brainer, but it took the borough and township of Princeton five decades to finally come together in 2013.

Last year on election day, then-Gov. Chris Christie got into a spat with a voter who took him to task for not merging Mendham Township, in which Christie lives, and Mendham Borough. In 2013, township voters agreed to at least discuss the idea of a merger.

While Christie supported the idea, it didn't go far — and the governor doesn't have the authority to force towns to merge. Christie suggested the woman run for office.

But don't fret just yet, Lavallette. It's still to early to tell where these recommendations will make it into the group's final report, which itself would not be legally binding.

Should your town exist?

Municipalities in red have fewer than 5,000 residents. You can navigate and click the map for more info. A full list of towns is below.

Municipalities with population under 5,000

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-359-5348 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.