newjerseynewsroom.com

82 percent want a citizens' tax convention

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

A large number of New Jersey mayors say they plan to seek sharing services with other towns or their school districts or county governments in an attempt to meet the new state law that requires them to keep annual property tax hikes at no more than 2 percent.

The mayors also believe that what they see as the inability of Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democratic-controlled Legislature to reach a consensus on reducing government costs is the chief reason for the inability to bring about property tax relief.

And 82 percent stated they support a citizens' convention to exclusively address property taxes.

Over 200 mayors made their views known in the annual New Jersey State League of Municipalities' legislative priority survey. The results were made public Thursday.

When asked what actions they will likely take to meet the 2 percent cap the mayors ranked them as seeking shared services, increasing fees, reducing services, seeking concessions from public employees, delaying capital improvements, increasing employee health care contributions, making lay-offs, reducing full-time staff, ordering furloughs, seeking employee salary givebacks, selling public property, examining government consolidation, and initiating accelerated tax sales.

The mayors ranked the obstacles to entering shared services with a neighboring town as savings not immediately realized, state laws or regulations, cost implementations, cost related to feasibility studies, demographics, and local politics.

They mayors continue to maintain that the number one budget stressor is state mandates, closely followed by the under-funding of state aid. Personnel expenses, such as health benefits cost and pension cost, are listed as the other budget stressor.

While cities and towns are unable to control their annual state pension bill, they are able to control other personnel cost such as longevity and health benefits. In May, Christie signed a series of pension and health benefits reforms. One of the reforms required employees to contribute 1.5 percent of their base salary towards their health benefits. The mandate took effect on May 21 or at the expiration of the collective barging agreement. Thirty-nine percent of the mayors noted that they require their employees to contribute more than 1.5 percent of their base salary towards their health benefits premiums.

Longevity is offered to non-uniformed public employees in 63 percent of the municipalities that responded to the survey and in 60 percent of towns that responded that have paid police officers and firefighters. In both instances, the longevity is based on a fix dollar amount by 35 percent of the respondents vs. a percentage of salary by 65 percent.

The mayors were also asked how their government‘s are delivering emergency medical services. Forty-five percent use volunteers, 24 percent share services, 11 percent have a part-time paid department and volunteers and 8 percent have a full time paid department. Another 12 percent stated that EMS is provided by giving a local hospital a stipend for daytime coverage, using paid firefighters as secondary responders and contracting out with private companies.

In 2006, the League established a 13-member Mayors Committee for a Green Future to promote green energy. The survey found over 64 percent of the mayors noted that they have implemented green technology. Towns have implemented cut and leave grass clipping programs, converted to natural gas, installed solar panels, amended zoning ordinance to become more solar friendly, established rain gardens, created recycling banks, and installed high efficiency lighting.