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1-26-10 Budget article & Editorial
'Gov. Christie's projected $1.3B N.J. budget shortfall is reasonable, analyst says' Statehouse Bureau ...........
'Gov. Chris Christie's spending cuts: First step, a thorough exam' - Star-Ledger Editorial Board How many state workers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Gov. Christie's projected $1.3B N.J. budget shortfall is reasonable, analyst says By Lisa Fleisher/Statehouse Bureau January 25, 2010, 7:46PM TRENTON -- After a week of Gov. Chris Christie and former Gov. Jon Corzine sniping over the health of New Jersey’s budget, a nonpartisan legislative office today said Christie’s $1.3 billion projected revenue shortfall is reasonable. Through the end of the year, the state is looking at a $2 billion deficit from revenue and spending — though April’s income tax collections could swing the results wildly in either direction, said David Rosen, the budget and finance officer for the Office of Legislative Services, which works for the governor and Legislature. Still, Rosen said that while he has not seen exact figures, Christie’s estimate of a $1.3 billion revenue shortfall on the $29 billion budget is possible, as is a potential need for more than $668 million in extra spending. "It’s not an unreasonable number to have on the table for an estimate," Rosen said at an Assembly Budget Committee hearing when asked about Christie’s figures. Christie last week blasted former governor Jon Corzine for leaving a "parting gift" of an undisclosed $1.3 billion budget gap, while a Corzine spokesman said the administration had, in fact, exited with a balanced budget and a $496 million surplus. Rosen said today the two were arguing over different sets of numbers. ________________________________________ Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. budget ________________________________________ "If we’re not comparing apples and oranges, it’s Macintosh versus Granny Smith, at least," he said. Corzine’s calculations included patches that Christie may not want to use. Rosen said although Corzine’s declaration of a surplus could be right, the numbers only matter at the end of the year when the budget is required by law to be balanced. Rhetoric on both sides was toned down today compared with last week. The governor said Rosen’s testimony validates his administration’s budget projections, but he did not dwell on the topic. That should put that conversation to rest," Christie said. Josh Zeitz, a spokesman for Corzine, acknowledged the men were using different figures, but he disputed Christie’s characterization of Corzine as a poor budget steward. "It’s not like one of these guys is right and one of these guys is wrong," Zeitz said. "If they go after Jon Corzine’s character, we’re going to respond." Current and projected tax collection numbers guide spending decisions by the Legislature and governor. Before leaving office, Corzine had proposed $948 million in cuts and implemented some of them. Christie said he plans to identify more than $1 billion in cuts to the current budget within the next week to 10 days and implement some by executive action while asking the Legislature to act on others. Staff writer Claire Heininger contributed to this report. Gov. Chris Christie's spending cuts: First step, a thorough exam By Star-Ledger Editorial Board/The Star-Led... January 26, 2010, 5:39AM How many state workers does it take to screw in a light bulb? That’s basically the question that Gov. Chris Christie will have to answer when he starts redlining state spending to close a budget gap that is $8 billion or $9.3 billion, depending on who is estimating. (When did math become Democratic or Republican, anyway?) But rather than taking the easy way out with one-time budget gimmicks or across-the-board cuts — cop-outs that New Jersey has used in previous crises — Christie has promised to make the tough, detailed decisions that politicians have been postponing for years. If he does, he can rewrite the owner’s manual for New Jersey. To that end, the governor’s transition team has released 19 reports that review all state departments, agencies and authorities, from Agriculture to Treasury. In those hundreds of pages are scores of recommendations on where to apply tourniquets to stop the bleeding. The report, for example, looks at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority’s $38 million loss last year and its lousy prospects for profit and insists "the entire mission, structure and even the very existence of the NJSEA be questioned." In an even more daring move, the education report broaches the possibility of freezing salaries for all public employees in 2011, including teachers. That’s courageous stuff. Whacking indiscriminately is easy. It’s the go-to tool for governors. Christie could tell department heads to slice a certain percentage from agency bottom lines, then claim he has put the state on the road to recovery. But that would be false. It would cripple worthwhile programs while allowing wasteful ones to keep sputtering along, wasting just a little less. Instead, Christie should answer the big questions: How many state workers does New Jersey need? Which departments should stay? Which should go? What services should remain, which should be dismantled and which, if any, should be enhanced? The governor needs to study the recommendations carefully and choose those that will make government more efficient without harming vital services and environmental protections. But he’s right to look beyond this year’s shortfall. Christie has the chance to redraw the blueprint for the future of a state that has been spending beyond its means for far too long.
'Gov. Christie's projected $1.3B N.J. budget shortfall is reasonable, analyst says' Statehouse Bureau ...........
'Gov. Chris Christie's spending cuts: First step, a thorough exam' - Star-Ledger Editorial Board How many state workers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Gov. Christie's projected $1.3B N.J. budget shortfall is reasonable, analyst says By Lisa Fleisher/Statehouse Bureau January 25, 2010, 7:46PM TRENTON -- After a week of Gov. Chris Christie and former Gov. Jon Corzine sniping over the health of New Jersey’s budget, a nonpartisan legislative office today said Christie’s $1.3 billion projected revenue shortfall is reasonable. Through the end of the year, the state is looking at a $2 billion deficit from revenue and spending — though April’s income tax collections could swing the results wildly in either direction, said David Rosen, the budget and finance officer for the Office of Legislative Services, which works for the governor and Legislature. Still, Rosen said that while he has not seen exact figures, Christie’s estimate of a $1.3 billion revenue shortfall on the $29 billion budget is possible, as is a potential need for more than $668 million in extra spending. "It’s not an unreasonable number to have on the table for an estimate," Rosen said at an Assembly Budget Committee hearing when asked about Christie’s figures. Christie last week blasted former governor Jon Corzine for leaving a "parting gift" of an undisclosed $1.3 billion budget gap, while a Corzine spokesman said the administration had, in fact, exited with a balanced budget and a $496 million surplus. Rosen said today the two were arguing over different sets of numbers. ________________________________________ Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. budget ________________________________________ "If we’re not comparing apples and oranges, it’s Macintosh versus Granny Smith, at least," he said. Corzine’s calculations included patches that Christie may not want to use. Rosen said although Corzine’s declaration of a surplus could be right, the numbers only matter at the end of the year when the budget is required by law to be balanced. Rhetoric on both sides was toned down today compared with last week. The governor said Rosen’s testimony validates his administration’s budget projections, but he did not dwell on the topic. That should put that conversation to rest," Christie said. Josh Zeitz, a spokesman for Corzine, acknowledged the men were using different figures, but he disputed Christie’s characterization of Corzine as a poor budget steward. "It’s not like one of these guys is right and one of these guys is wrong," Zeitz said. "If they go after Jon Corzine’s character, we’re going to respond." Current and projected tax collection numbers guide spending decisions by the Legislature and governor. Before leaving office, Corzine had proposed $948 million in cuts and implemented some of them. Christie said he plans to identify more than $1 billion in cuts to the current budget within the next week to 10 days and implement some by executive action while asking the Legislature to act on others. Staff writer Claire Heininger contributed to this report. Gov. Chris Christie's spending cuts: First step, a thorough exam By Star-Ledger Editorial Board/The Star-Led... January 26, 2010, 5:39AM How many state workers does it take to screw in a light bulb? That’s basically the question that Gov. Chris Christie will have to answer when he starts redlining state spending to close a budget gap that is $8 billion or $9.3 billion, depending on who is estimating. (When did math become Democratic or Republican, anyway?) But rather than taking the easy way out with one-time budget gimmicks or across-the-board cuts — cop-outs that New Jersey has used in previous crises — Christie has promised to make the tough, detailed decisions that politicians have been postponing for years. If he does, he can rewrite the owner’s manual for New Jersey. To that end, the governor’s transition team has released 19 reports that review all state departments, agencies and authorities, from Agriculture to Treasury. In those hundreds of pages are scores of recommendations on where to apply tourniquets to stop the bleeding. The report, for example, looks at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority’s $38 million loss last year and its lousy prospects for profit and insists "the entire mission, structure and even the very existence of the NJSEA be questioned." In an even more daring move, the education report broaches the possibility of freezing salaries for all public employees in 2011, including teachers. That’s courageous stuff. Whacking indiscriminately is easy. It’s the go-to tool for governors. Christie could tell department heads to slice a certain percentage from agency bottom lines, then claim he has put the state on the road to recovery. But that would be false. It would cripple worthwhile programs while allowing wasteful ones to keep sputtering along, wasting just a little less. Instead, Christie should answer the big questions: How many state workers does New Jersey need? Which departments should stay? Which should go? What services should remain, which should be dismantled and which, if any, should be enhanced? The governor needs to study the recommendations carefully and choose those that will make government more efficient without harming vital services and environmental protections. But he’s right to look beyond this year’s shortfall. Christie has the chance to redraw the blueprint for the future of a state that has been spending beyond its means for far too long.
