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Democrats inch toward tax reform
Many key issues sputter in Senate caucus, but idea for comptroller's office advances
Friday, January 19, 2007
BY DEBORAH HOWLETT AND TOM HESTER
Star-Ledger Staff
After meeting behind closed doors for more than two hours, state Senate Democrats said yesterday some progress had been made in clearing up a backlog of property tax reform legislation.
While several critical issues remained unresolved, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) said there was enough support in the caucus to proceed with several key proposals, including a compromise version of a bill to create an office of state comptroller.
Codey said, however, a pair of bills aimed at reining in school finance -- one to create "super" superintendents with veto authority over local school budgets, and another to create a pilot countywide school district -- are stalled.
"They're not dead. ... I just don't know what choice of words to use," Codey said.
As senators emerged from the meeting at the Statehouse yesterday afternoon, the only thing apparent was the 22 Democrats, who hold a slim majority in the 40-member Senate, couldn't agree even on how much they disagree.
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said "very little" had been decided.
But Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), who followed Lesniak out of the second-floor conference room, said everything had been "worked out."
Lesniak, still within earshot, turned on his heel and asked, "Were we in the same meeting?"
Since the Legislature embarked six months ago on a special session to provide New Jerseyans with relief from the highest property taxes in the nation, not one measure has been enacted. Lawmakers missed a self-imposed Jan. 1 deadline for action and are working against a revised deadline of early February.
Much of the legislation has been bottled up in the Senate for several weeks, with the Democrats unable to muster a majority in floor votes for all but a few of the most tepid measures.
Codey said the Senate will take up at least three stalled property tax measures Monday, including the comptroller bill.
Gov. Jon Corzine has cited the creation of a comptroller's office as one of his three top priorities out of the special session on tax reform. The bill had been stalled until last week, when two Hudson Democrats, Sens. Bernard Kenny Jr. and Joseph Doria, negotiated with the governor's office a "compromise" of the original bill passed by the Assembly.
"Everything is moving along," Doria said after the meeting. "We're making the bills better. We clarified a number of issues."
The amended measure would create a 100-person office of the state comptroller with the authority to audit all state government entities but only local government bodies that have budgets of $100 million or more.
The Assembly version would have given the comptroller wider discretion to audit state or local government budgets.
Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) removed herself as a sponsor of the amended bill, saying it had been "emasculated" by the amendments.
CRIME AND PENSION
Codey also said there was enough support to vote on a measure to strip the pensions of public officials or employees who are convicted of criminal conduct.
However, the bill has been amended so only the pension from the office where the misconduct occurred would be lost, not the pension benefits accrued in another public office or job.
Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-Hudson) said he would take a look at the amended version, but it seemed fairer than stripping convicted officials of their entire pension.
"We do want to be strong against corruption but we also want to be fair," Sacco said.
A third measure, which would create a panel to study where local governments can consolidate and share services, also has enough support to get a floor vote next week, Codey said.
The key change in generating support for the so-called BRAC bill (a reference to the federal military-base realignment and closure committee, which on which it is modeled) was to add more regional representation.
Codey also said after the meeting he will be introducing a bill Monday to impose a 4 percent limit on future property tax increases, although he conceded all of the details of the "cap" legislation have yet to be worked out between the Senate, Assembly and governor's office.
"We're 90 percent there," he said.
Senate and Assembly aides met yesterday afternoon with the governor's staff, trying to reach agreement on the last details. They came away without a final product.
Codey said he wasn't yet sure if the 4 percent limit would be imposed on tax rates or revenue raised.
"I can go either way on that," he said. "I'm flexible."
Deborah Howlett may be reached at dhowlett@starledger.com or (609) 989-0273. Tom Hester may be reached at thester@starledger.com or (609) 292-0557.
County-wide school district proposal shelved
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/19/07
BY JONATHAN TAMARI
The proposal lost support after 3,000 people, many prompted by the teachers' union and school boards, berated lawmakers Tuesday night at a meeting in
Sen. Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, initially backed the plan but said it became a victim of disinformation.
"There was so much information all over the map and parents were truly scared," said Sweeney, who is also
The plan's sponsor, Sen. Robert Smith, D-Middlesex, agreed to the changes, but they did not win enough support among Democrats, who control the Senate, Sweeney said.
Sweeney had considered using his county for the pilot program, which he said would create a county-wide administration that he hoped would cut bureaucracy and reduce the cost of running local schools. Eleven of the 21 counties would have been eligible.
The plan was crushed by an avalanche of criticism.
Parents, warned by fliers decrying the plan, worried that their children would be shipped to other schools.
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Gloucester, said
A separate proposal to empower county school superintendents to monitor education spending has also run into opposition and may be reworked, according to the Associated Press.
Both school plans are part of lawmakers' efforts to trim property taxes. Schools have been a focus because school costs make up the bulk of property tax bills.
"The process is brutal, very tough," Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, told the AP. "Obviously, we've touched a lot of nerves."
Senate President Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, said the future of the bills remains to be seen, according to the AP.
Both the plan for a county-wide school district and the proposal to empower county superintendents had passed in the Assembly but have not moved in the Senate, which has voting sessions scheduled next week to consider the property tax proposals.
Jonathan Tamari: jtamari@gannett.com
