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file photo by Boyd Loving

North Jersey police retirees cash in while lawmakers stall

JUNE 8, 2014, 11:03 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014, 12:00 AM
BY LINH TAT AND MELISSA HAYES
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD
PAGES: 1 2 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE

In the last three months alone, North Jersey taxpayers have been put on the hook for $1.5 million in payouts to eight police officers — including five chiefs — to cover thousands of hours in unused sick, vacation and compensatory time.

Some of the payouts include:

Vincent Caruso, Lodi: $342,381

Thomas Johnson, Elmwood Park: $228,141

Arthur O’Keefe, Englewood:  $182,542

Gary Giardina, Clifton: $134,000

Frank Papapietro, New Milford: $158,000   

Matthew Paz, Passaic: $100,000*

*Acting chief, city figures are estimated

The recent payouts approved in Bergen and Passaic counties are just the latest examples of a system that critics say is out of control, and a burden on taxpayers. In fact, some municipalities have been forced to borrow millions to make the payments. The Record has reported on six-figure payouts from at least a half-dozen other North Jersey public employees, including school administrators, in recent years. And there are more to come.

Indeed, these perks have become a rite of passage for some retiring public employees — Lodi Police Chief Vincent Caruso is getting $342,381, for instance — and other longtime workers still on the job, despite repeated criticism from Governor Christie and fiscal watchdogs who have called for the benefit to be repealed entirely.

“These six-figure payouts are forcing other people to go without,” said Jerry Cantrell, president of Common Sense Institute of New Jersey, a non-partisan research-and-education non-profit that receives support from individuals, private foundations and businesses. “If those dollars weren’t being expended on these things, they could be going toward legitimate purposes, like fixing potholes.”

State lawmakers have been unable — or unwilling — to strike a deal and get a handle on the substantial payouts. And without comprehensive, statewide reform, local officials have been left to negotiate a solution with employees on their own. So far, those efforts have come piecemeal and vary from town to town. In the end, it means the payouts keep coming.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-police-retirees-cash-in-while-lawmakers-stall-1.1031530#sthash.al6KqD0W.dpuf