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Easing prevailing wage standards, shining less light on government suggested

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Gov. Chris Christie's transition team Friday unveiled 19 reports recommending ways the new administration can change state government.

The reports call for, among other things, cutbacks, shifting responsibilities, hirings and firings, closing state facilities. They also recommend ways to encourage economic growth, including tax cuts for businesses and providing tax credits to encourage investments.

"These reports are full of bold ideas and recommendations for change from a bipartisan group of individuals from the private and public sectors,'' Christie said in a statement. "In the coming weeks, my cabinet and I will be consulting with subcommittee members, reviewing each of the reports, and carefully considering these recommendations for improvement and change.''

The reports call for easing enforcement of prevailing wage standards on building projects, arguing they hinder economic development and add to costs.

The report on the Department of Environmental Protections calls for less open government. "The new administration should work with the Legislature to review (the) Open Public Records Act regarding both cost escalation as well as protection of proprietary information,'' it states.

The report also calls for the creation of a business advocate within the governor's office or Department of State to attempt to provide one-stop service for proposed complex building projects.

One report proposes that voters should be asked to approve a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote by the Legislature to raise or add taxes.

Another report calls for the Department of Environmental Protection to ease development rules. One report declares that cities and towns should monitor affordable housing development and that it is not the constitutional role of the state. Another calls for double-bunking for state prisoners as a way to raise prison capacity by 500 beds and save $57 million annually. Still another calls for the closing of the troubled state-run Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in South Jersey.

"The state is now facing an enormous budget deficit,'' a report by the Economic Development and Job Growth subcommittee states. "If we seek to balance the budget by imposing higher taxes, we will drive more taxpayers away, diminishing the asset base resulting in ever-increasing tax burdens on the remaining, perhaps less mobile, taxpayers. On the other hand, delivering more competitive tax burdens will attract employment and investment, expand the tax base and further reduce the proportional tax burdens."

Two of the reports involve the departments of Community Affairs and Environmental Protection, agencies closely connected to local government, state aid, affordable housing, development, clean water and air, state parks and recreation.

The Community Affairs subcommittee is headed by state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Hudson), a close friend of Christie.

The panel found DCA does not have a disciplined program or the technology to monitor the millions of dollars it awards annually in state aid and grants, and that the entire department should undergo an outside audit.

It calls for better coordination of all housing programs and finds that key divisions such as Local Government Services, Fire Safety, Codes & Standards and the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority are understaffed.

The report calls for ethics training for all non-profit agencies that receive DCA aid, the department play a greater role in encouraging shared local government services, something Christie supports, as a way to help cut property taxes, and for major technology improvements.

The panel calls for a 90-day freeze on all actions by the state Council on Affordable Housing, and finds there is no constitutional obligation for such a state agency to exist.

"Consider change in COAH's leadership,‘' the report states. "The subcommittee did not receive specific complaints about specific individuals within COAH, but COAH has veered off course from the intent and purpose originally given to it by the legislature.''

The Department of Environmental Protection subcommittee, headed by former Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Hunterdon) does not hesitate to charge the department is poorly run.

The panel found, "The department has created cumbersome, confusing and often conflicting regulations that in some cases go beyond legislative intent, and in others, have no enabling legislation at all. Furthermore, inappropriate political interference from all levels of government has at times, influenced decision-making. This has tied the hands of staff trying to issue permits and consequently, the hands of those both trying to develop and redevelop New Jersey as well as environmental organizations trying to improve the quality of New Jersey's natural resources and historic sites.

"The department has failed to fulfill its own mission statement of protecting our state's vital natural resources while taking into consideration economic vitality. As policy makers, it is important to realize that baselines have shifted. The department has driven economic investment out of this state often with policies that, ironically, provide little or no environmental benefit.''

The report states, "There is a is a widely held view that DEP's mismanagement and ineffectual leadership both compromises the department's ability to protect the environment and hinders economic growth. This stems from a variety of factors including the failure to adhere to the Rule of Law, the misuse of science, the lack of real economic impact analysis, and the lack of transparency in the rule-making process. Also, the department needs to establish clear environmental goals and policies and focus on its core mission, absent of politics. This failure of leadership to set priorities and establish performance metrics has resulted in virtually no accountability for the DEP, or a method to assess the progress and the effectiveness of the DEP's programs.''

The subcommittee recommends several changes to the DEP organizational structure with the objective of stepping back from monitoring development. The panel calls streamlining the DEP's land use and building permitting system to help bolster the state's economy, easing standards on building near waterways, and reviewing species‘ habitat standards.

The report recommends the DEP renew its focus on natural resources management such as forests and threatened and endangered species habitat and preserving open space.

"There needs to be a recognition that agriculture, like every other business in New Jersey, has been over regulated and burdened by DEP rules,'' the report states. "Farmers should be recognized as stewards to the land and treated as partners in land preservation not potential polluters.

It also suggests eliminating the DEP's Office of Policy, Planning and Science and creating an Office of Science Research. Establishing an advisory panel of external experts to advise DEP on matters of scientific and technology.

The Reports, in PDF format:

• Agriculture
• Authorities
• Banking & Insurance
• Community Affairs
• — Community Affairs Appendix
• Corrections & Homeland Security
• Economic Development
• Energy & Utilities
• Environmental Protection
• Gaming, Sports, and Entertainments
• Governor's Office
• Health & Senior Services
• Human Services - Children and Families
• Labor & Workforce Development
• Law & Public Safety
• Military & Veterans' Affairs
• State
• Transportation
• Treasury