And as debate continued on Gov. Corzine's cost-cutting budget, mayors continued predicting that aid cuts for towns and cities would boost the nation's highest property taxes.

Legislators, meanwhile, questioned forcing rural communities to pay for state police.

The Corzine administration has proposed closing nine parks July 1 - including Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest) in Burlington County - to save $4.5 million.

In documents submitted to lawmakers, the Department of Environmental Protection stated that closed parks would get minimal park police patrols and called vandalism "a viable concern."

But DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson told Assembly lawmakers yesterday that the DEP was studying ways to keep parks open.

"We may not have to take as drastic a set of actions," Jackson said.

She declined to elaborate, but said the DEP was talking to park supporters and local governments to find solutions.

"We'll look at a range of options," Jackson said.

That pleased legislators concerned about the closings.

"I'm happy to hear that we're moving in the right direction," said Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose (R., Sussex).

Jackson noted the difficulty of closing parks.

"There are no walls," she said. "You don't just shut it down."

On Wednesday, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. (D., Camden) expressed confidence that parks would remain open. Senate President Richard J. Codey (D., Essex) suggested boosting park fees to find the needed money.

The Communications Workers of America, which represents park workers, vowed to protest park closings Wednesday at the Statehouse.

"We will rally, we will walk over 100 miles, and if necessary we will get in the way of the padlocks on July 1," said Chris Shelton, CWA District 1 vice president. "These parks belong to New Jersey's people, and they shall not close."

Corzine's $33 billion budget plan calls for $2.7 billion in cuts.

He proposed a 10 percent cut in municipal aid, with steepest cuts targeting smaller towns. Mayors want the money restored, contending the cut would boost property taxes, which average $6,800 per homeowner.

"There is no doubt that some people living close to the edge will be forced to move from small towns," Gibbsboro Mayor Ed Campbell said at a Statehouse news conference.

Corzine insists that increased school aid means property-tax increases aren't necessary. When school and municipal aid are combined, 315 of 566 communities would get increased aid.

Corzine has said he's willing to phase in aid cuts if the budget can be reduced elsewhere.

"We don't have the money to fund beyond $33 billion," he said yesterday on Bloomberg Radio. "That's all the money that comes in. We're not going to raise taxes, and we're not going to use tricks and borrowings to close the gap."

Assemblyman John Burzichelli, who is mayor of Paulsboro, said legislators would find a way to restore some funding.

"It is a priority," said Burzichelli (D., Gloucester), "but it's a work in progress."

Lawmakers and Corzine must adopt a budget by July 1.

Corzine's budget calls for raising $20.5 million by charging municipalities that get state police patrols. State police provide full-time patrols to 76 communities and part-time services to 13 others.

"There is no plan afoot to remove state police protection from any town now utilizing it," Attorney General Anne Milgram said during another hearing yesterday. "The plan is simply to require reimbursement for that coverage, which is only fair."