At a recent meeting with mayors from around the state, Gov. Chris Christie laid out in no uncertain terms what he is facing in trying to get his “Mayor’s Toolkit” through the Legislature. Although he was promised that action would be taken on many of the bills by September, to date, the most important ones have not yet been posted for a vote. These bills are critical to giving local governments the ability to cut municipal budgets that they are unable to legally do now. The governor has asked us to contact as many members of the state Assembly as possible and demand they act on passing four core bills, including bills dealing with abolishing the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), the government subsidized low-income housing program; binding arbitration reform; civil service reform; and eliminating unfunded mandates. All of these bills are essential if we are ever to rein in New Jersey’s highest-in-thenation property taxes. I encourage all citizens to contact Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver at 973-395-1166 and respectfully demand that she immediately post these critical bills for a vote.
Gerry Scharfenberger
Mayor Middletown Township