newjerseynewsroom.com

Last voting session of term set for Monday

With five days left for the Democratic-controlled Legislature to change the way sick and vacation benefits are provided to public workers, Gov. Chris Christie Wednesday visited the New Brunswick home of Frank and Joan Deiner to discuss the impact what the governor describes as his "Zero Means Zero" proposal would have in delivering property tax relief to New Jerseyans.

After their leaders cooperated with Christie in pushing through changes that make public employees pay more for their health and pension benefits, Democratic legislators are reluctant to take any additional actions that would make Christie look good politically. The sick and vacation time proposal is not on the Senate or Assembly agendas for the final voting sessions of the current term on Monday.

Christie has put forward what he sees as a common sense policy to bring an end to the practice of paying public workers for unused sick days. He charged the Legislature wants to continue the usually hefty payouts.

The Legislature has not acted on Christie’s December 2010 conditional veto that would provide property tax relief by eliminating cash payouts for future unused sick days, and limiting the ability to carry forward unused vacation days to one year only.

Presently, accumulated sick and vacation liabilities total over $825 million on municipalities’ books.

In New Brunswick, the total accumulated liability is over $14.5 million, or $1,330 for every property taxpayer in the city – the highest per taxpayer total in the state – on property taxes that already average $6,392 for the city’s residents.

“Time is running out for the Legislature to act on these common sense reforms to curb this expensive practice that, in reality, has a direct and significant impact on the property taxes borne by New Jersey families,” Christie said. “In New Brunswick, the average property taxpayer, people like Frank and Joan Deiner, is on the hook for over $1,300, for nothing more than unused public worker sick and vacation days. If the Legislature is serious about delivering property tax relief and helping towns manage their budgets under the cap, they will end the delays, make this reform a priority and pass real reform before they close business on the 215th Legislative Session."

The governor has called on the Legislature to enact his so-called tool kit bills that he believes would drive down costs and deliver sustainable property tax relief to New Jerseyans, including sick and vacation benefit reform, civil service reform, and disability pension abuse reform.

Last month, a bipartisan group of 234 mayors joined Christie’s call for the Legislature to act on the sick and vacation pay proposal.

The governor’s office offered these examples of the cost of accumulated sick and vacation time to taxpayers in 10 cities and towns:

New Brunswick:  $14,515,297 - (cost per household) $1,220

Jersey City: $73,979,519 - $1,169

Alpine: $850,523 - $1,169

Hackensack: $18,875,368 - $1,039

Harrison: $3,517,916 - $979

Asbury Park: $4,819,259 - $903

Madison Borough: $4,512,480 - $883

West New York: $7,782,193 - $869

Ridgewood Village: $7,203,566 - $861

Weehawken: $4,249,583 - $859

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM