By: centraljersey.com
Gov. Chris Christie touched on subjects ranging from the state budget to pensions to collective bargaining at a packed town hall meeting in Hillsborough’s Municipal Building on Wednesday.
"There’s a lot of controversy in the country right now about public sector unions and collective bargaining, and also the craziness that’s going on in Wisconsin," he said.
"As much as the Democratic Party and the liberals in the media are going to want to try to make you think that New Jersey and Wisconsin are the same, thinking people know that they’re not. I haven’t suggested once, nor will I, that we should take away collective bargaining rights from people. In fact, I said the exact opposite. I said let’s get rid of civil service and let everything be collectively bargained, as long as collective bargaining is fair and tough and adversarial."
The governor said he’d take a no-nonsense approach to salary increases when contracts are up.
"State workers in this year’s budget, under a contract negotiated by the Corzine administration, got a 7 percent salary increase" in a time when inflation is near zero, he said.
"If you call that tough, adversarial, collective bargaining on behalf of the people of New Jersey who pay the bills, then I don’t want you anywhere near the collective bargaining that’s going to start in a couple of weeks," he said. "The good news for the taxpayers is that those contracts are up this June and they’re going to be negotiating with me now.
"In fact, I love collective bargaining. Let me at ’em. Get me out of the cage and let me go."
With respect to health benefits, Gov. Christie proposed that state workers, teachers, police officers and firefighters pay 30 percent of the health care premium.
"If we do that this year, it would save $320 million at the state level," he said.
He also said that 75 percent of the costs for property taxes are employee pensions, salary and benefits. To control property taxes, those items have to be reined in, he said.
He gave four ideas that would save money and put the under-funded state pension system back on track.
First, he said, the retirement age needs to increase by three years.
Next, cost-of-living adjustments need to be eliminated.
Third, everyone except police officers and firefighters need to start paying the 8.5 percent of their salary for pensions. Police officers and firefighters already pay that amount, more than anyone else, he said.
The final point was to recalculate pensions to a point before a 9 percent increase given in the Whitman administration of the late 1990s.
"Our pension system right now is $54 billion underfunded," he said. "If we do nothing, that will grow in 30 years to $183 billion. If we do the common-sense things, it goes from $54 billion under budget to $28 billion under budget in 30 years."
One cost-saving state budget measure that will take effect this year will be to save about $20 million to send rebate checks to property owners. From now on, instead of mailing checks, a credit will be shown on residents’ property tax records.
Prior to fielding eight questions from the audience, Gov. Christie shot down reports that he would run for president. After answering queries from two Hillsborough High School students, a district teacher of 30 years, a Belle Mead resident and four township residents, he gave a final speech. "For however long I’m honored and privileged enough to be your governor, that’s the way it’s going to be," he said. "Some days you’re going to say ‘I love that, I love what he’s saying.’ There will be days when I anger you, I’m sure, and there will be other days, I hope, where I inspire you.
"But you’ll never have to wonder what I’m thinking, or where I stand, or whether I’ll keep my word to you. That’s what it’s all about. We have great things to do in this state together."