N.J. SENATE SET TO TAKE UP PROPERTY TAXES
NORTHJERSEY.COM - July 18, 2010 - The New Jersey Senate on Monday will begin considering nearly three dozen bills designed to help towns, counties and school districts contain costs and hold property tax increases to 2 percent a year.
Gov. Chris Christie announced the so-called "toolkit" measures in May after proposing a $29.4 billion budget that cut more than $800 million from schools, suspended property tax rebates and trimmed or eliminated hundreds of programs for students, the disabled and businesses.
Christie said it's all part of his effort "to get New Jersey's governmental spending under control at every level. The cap is part of it, the toolkit is part of it. It's a holistic picture," Christie said at a news conference in his outer office on Friday.
New Jerseyans pay the highest property taxes in the country, averaging nearly $7,300 per household. The tax burden often is cited as a reason residents and businesses don't locate here, or a reason they leave.
Christie proposed 33 bills to deal with escalating property taxes, the centerpiece of which was a cap on how much local governments and school districts could increase spending and property taxes each year. He signed a 2 percent tax cap bill into law on Tuesday that contains some exceptions, and urged the Legislature to pass the 32 remaining bills by summer's end. Christie said reforms are urgently needed to rework contract arbitration for police and firefighters and civil service rules.
Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat who controls the state Senate, said he and Christie agree that reforms are needed, but disagree on the details. For example, Sweeney said police and firefighters who are barred by law from striking need an arbitration process that allows them to negotiate a contract in good faith. He also said civil service rules were put in place because of concerns over cronyism and corruption; any attempts to reform civil service protections must be completed with the original mission in mind, he said.
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver has not set a schedule for considering the toolkit reforms, but she has assigned the bills to 12 Assembly Democrats, who will review them during the summer for discussion and possible action in the fall.
The Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to review four toolkit proposals on Monday that are expected to stir little controversy and to hold discussions, but take no vote, on three potentially more contentious measures.
Of the three discussion-only bills, one would limit the amount of unused sick and vacation time school and government employees could carry forward. Another would bar non government employees from enrolling in the state pension system; and the third would clarify the role of the head of the Civil Service Commission.
The bill on unused sick and vacation would cap retirement payouts at $15,000 and would limit the amount of sick time employees could take in the 12 months before retiring. Employees would be limited to six sick days in their final year of employment without medical needs documentation.
FEDERAL GRANT HELPS NORTH PLAINFIELD BOOST FIREFIGHTING FORCE
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MY CENTRAL JERSEY.COM - July 1, 2010 - In difficult economic times, governments face difficult choices, and when the choice comes to protecting the public or preserving salaries, it's a no-brainer, said North Plainfield Mayor Michael Giordano, Jr.
On Thursday, the mayor joined members of the borough's fire department for the swearings-in of four new firefighters to a force reduced by retirements, additions provided by a combination of federal funds and the firefighters union's flexibility.
"It means safety for firefighters and safety for the public," said a happy Fire Chief William Eaton.
The additions bring the borough's paid department up to 25. But more importantly, the four new men significantly raise the force's ability to have at least four firefighters on the initial response at a fire scene, something that Eaton said means better protection for the first responders.
"Staffing, response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association, call for two in and two out," Eaton said, referring to the recommendation that two firefighters be positioned on the outside of a structure while two work the scene from the inside. However, a series of recent retirements left the paid force sending only three firefighters at times, the chief noted.
"This is a huge boost for the morale, said Robert Beattie, delegate treasurer for IAFF Local 2958, the firefighters union. "We always felt short-numbered. With the recent retirements, we were really afraid that we weren't going to see replacements for these guys."
The additions of Kris Piccola, T.J. McDonald, Michael Kennedy and Shane Bell were funded for the first two years under a grant from the federal government. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grants (SAFER) are dispensed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help local fire departments comply with standards established by the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The grants will fund the first two years of each firefighters' salary — $28,000 in year one and $29,000 in year two. In order to receive the aid, the borough had to agree to fully fund the firefighters for at least a third year, when they'll earn $31,000, according to Eaton.
The chief and Mayor Michael Giordano said the key to securing the grant was the union's agreement to lower the department's starting salary from $37,000.
"They worked very hard to get this done," Giordano said. "Hopefully, the economy will be better in three years," he added.
Lower starting salaries for those who succeed higher-paid retirees are a trend for cash-strapped governments, but Eaton said the new firefighters are single, striking out a career path and eager to work.
McDonald, 27, has been a per-diem Emergency Medical Technician for five years and said it took nine years of waiting for acceptance onto a paid force in a competitive field. "You get 100 guys going for two spots," he said. But he called firefighting a field that offers new challenges with each response and advised others who want that for a career to persevere.
"Don't give up," he said.
UNIONS FILE LAW SUIT VS. STATE
POLITICKERNJ.COM - April 23, 2010 - The Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ) and Teamsters Local 97 filed a lawsuit against the Christie administration and the legislative leadership in an effort to overturn a 1.5% pay reduction to cover the cost of health insurance for public employees.
“In passing this law, the Members of the State Legislature, from both political parties, rushed to appease the Governor’s desire to circumvent collective negotiations. The result is a statute that violates long-standing principles of fair play as well as the State and Federal Constitutional rights of our clients’ members. We anxiously await our day in court to present our clients’ claims to an impartial judiciary,” said James Mets, the attorney for the two unions.
The suit, filed in Mercer County Superior Court, argues that the newly-passed law violates the constitutional rights of public employees.
“An overwhelming majority of the Legislature and the Governor came together to enact these reforms because they are fair to current employees and will ensure the state’s promise of a full pension to career public servants. I am confident the courts will share that view and dismiss this lawsuit," said State Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).
