WEINBERG, JOHNSON, HUTTLE PROPOSE 12 STEP PLAN TO BEGIN ECONOMIC RECOVERYFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE....October 11, 2006

Legislative District 37, Bergen County

Senator Loretta Weinberg, Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson and
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle proposed a 12 Step Plan to Begin Economic Recovery at an open public forum Tuesday on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University in the city of Hackensack. The legislators hosted the event to give the residents of their district an opportunity to discuss their ideas and concerns on property tax reform.

Speaking before a group of citizens and local officials in attendance, Senator Weinberg and Assembly members Johnson and Vainieri Huttle answered pleas of anguish and frustration with ever rising property taxes by putting forth a list of individual proposals under one comprehensive plan. Endorsed by all three legislators, the lawmakers explained that the 12 Step Plan, if enacted, could realize significant savings for the state.

“While dollars and cents are the bottom line, our ‘12 Steps to Begin Recovery’ address the integrity of our entire system by rooting out waste and duplication,� declared Senator Weinberg. “There is a tendency by government to take its eyes off the ball by forgetting that we answer to the taxpayers. It is time to end the feeding frenzy at the public trough.�

Assemblyman Johnson agreed, adding that, “government at every level must make choices. You can’t have it all and expect the system to sustain itself. Our 12 Steps clearly put the state back on the path to recovery and we welcome the support of Governor Corzine and the rest of the legislature in meeting these goals.�

As a business owner, Assemblywoman Huttle said she understands the difference between the private and public sectors. “I know what it takes to meet a payroll and operate within your means. We have to bring discipline to state and local government and put a stop to this runaway train that has drained the wallets of our hard working middle class families. The ’12 Steps’ we have proposed takes a giant step in the right direction,� Huttle explained.

The “12 Steps to Begin Recovery� are:

1. Prohibit pension tacking----end the practice of allowing people to accumulate multiple public jobs to create a larger pension benefit.

2. Eliminate dual health and pension benefits for dual office holders with the elimination of dual office holding after a period of time.

3. Prohibit contracted professionals (e.g. lawyers & engineers) on the public payroll from receiving pension and health benefits.

4. Eliminate the rule that requires public employees earning a base salary of $1,500 to enroll in the state pension plan. Establish a threshold that is significantly higher.

5. Include all autonomous agencies in any pension and benefit reform plan.

6. Prohibit a public entity from paying the employees’ portion of a pension contribution.

7. Raise the retirement age for new public employees.

8. Provide flexibility to avoid the duplication of health benefits.

9. Cap sick and vacation time for new employees at local government level in conformity with state policy.

10. Prohibit elected officials from receiving accrued vacation time, sick time and terminal leave benefits.

11. Thorough review of all paid state boards. A bill is being drafted to codify Governor Corzine’s Executive Order governing autonomous state authorities.

12. Reward shared services and regionalization which result in cost saving to taxpayers.

Members of the audience who took part in the forum welcomed the proposals by the legislators and discussed their own difficulties in raising families with property tax bills that threaten to price them out of their neighborhoods.

Armed with firsthand accounts of the impact of high property taxes, Senator Weinberg, Assemblyman Johnson and Assemblywoman Huttle promised to bring the struggles and suggestions of the residents of their communities back to Trenton where four joint legislative committees have been working on property tax reform since August.

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