TRENTON — Democratic legislative leaders appear to be on a collision course over a controversial plan to overhaul the state's higher education system and medical institutions.

Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver (D-Essex) told Democratic colleagues in a closed-door meeting Thursday that she had no plans to meet a July 1 deadline Gov. Chris Christie set for the sweeping reorganization, according to two sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for the caucus.

At one point, the sources said, Oliver called the timetable of the hard-charging governor a "fiction."

But Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said today he was working on a much more urgent timetable, setting the stage for a showdown with the trappings of a classic Trenton drama. It would not be the first time the two legislative leaders clashed over policy issues.

"The Senate President is working very hard to strengthen higher education throughout the state and he will be introducing a bill in the immediate near future," said Chris Donnelly, a Sweeney spokesman.

Both Oliver and Christie declined to comment.

Since Christie unveiled the second part of a plan in January that was drawn up by a hand-picked committee, it has grown increasingly complicated, controversial and entwined in Statehouse politics. The players include such influential figures as George Norcross, arguably the state’s most powerful Democrat, former Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts and Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

In recent weeks, Essex County lawmakers have become more unified in their concern over how Newark — the state’s largest city — will be affected by the proposed merger of Rutgers University and parts of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Similar concerns sunk previous efforts to make major changes at the city’s institutions.

Under the current proposal, Rutgers would absorb UMDNJ’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, public health school and cancer institute in New Brunswick-Piscataway.

In Newark, most of the remaining pieces of UMDNJ would be renamed New Jersey Health Sciences University. But the university would lose University Hospital in Newark, which would be turned over to a public-private partnership.

In Camden, Rowan University would merge with Rutgers-Camden, a move that has the urgent backing of Norcross, who has strong ties to Rowan and a large stake in the future of a new medical school and its partner, Cooper University Hospital. The plan has been met with stiff opposition from Rutgers students, professors and alumni, who say it ignores the value of the Rutgers brand.

So far, there have been no estimates on how much realignment of the schools would cost, and many crucial details remain unresolved.

The Rutgers Board of Trustees recently voted overwhelmingly against the plan, but kept the door open for other options.

Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) said the chances of meeting the governor’s July 1 deadline were about the same as someone getting struck by lighting — though he didn’t entirely rule out a speedy resolution.

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"But people do get struck by lighting though, so there’s a chance," Greenwald said.

Greenwald said he and other lawmakers are working with stakeholders from across the state in hopes that a resolution can be achieved that satisfies critics, alumni and the Christie administration.

Although the negotiations are complex, he said, there are enough people who want to see something done that if a unifying idea emerges events can move quickly.

There has been much discussion about alternatives — like a hybrid merger between Rutgers-Camden and Rowan that would allow Rutgers to maintain a presence in Camden but give the campus more financial independence.

For now, it is unclear whether any of the options will appeal to Christie, who has remained steadfast in support of his original proposal and has said it’s an all-or-nothing proposition.

Asked Thursday about the uncertainty of its fate, Christie said: "We’ll see what happens. I intend to get it done. I intend to work with all the relevant parties in the Legislature and the institutions ... the ones who are unwilling to listen will be ignored. They’re irrelevant."

UMDNJ officials declined to comment on a potential delay, while Rutgers officials said they would not give up on a plan for all sides to agree on.

"Rutgers remains hopeful that an agreement can soon be reached among the legislative leaders, the governor and the affected parties that maximizes the opportunity to bring world-class medical education to New Jersey and enhances Rutgers’ position as one of the nation’s leading research universities," school officials said in a statement.

Star-Ledger staff writer Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report.

Related coverage:

• Figuring out how much Rutgers-Camden's merger with Rowan would cost is getting expensive

• Editorial: Winning deal for Rutgers University, Rowan

• Officials discuss compromise in Rutgers-Rowan merger: A combined institution with an independent board