Tag: Fiscally Responsible

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Reader says ,” The arrogance of this email is mind boggling”

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photo by Boyd Loving

“The arrogance of this email is mind boggling. I have no idea who this guy is but to think that him and his very small group of activists can force out duly elected officials cause they don’t like how they question administrators is incredible. To the OVOV group, your “people” are no longer on the board, instead of trying to move the goal posts under some guise of saving some money and keeping the students safe, why don’t you, as you say on your website, try and improve voter participation in this town. I don’t think anyone would disagree with a strategy where instead of spending your time and money suing the town, spend it on getting voters to turn out for local elections? As to being so fiscally responsible and seeking to save this Village money, how many of the OVOV crew wanted to spend the $11mm on the useless parking garage or want the performing arts center…..the inconsistencies in this groups mission are pretty glaring. They want one thing and one thing only…control. If they can’t gain this in getting their people elected, they will try other means and that is what we are seeing now. Having a vote on the budget allows residents a check and balance on the BOE which must stay intact if we want sensible taxes and proper allocation of said taxes throughout the system. Don’t be fooled by the fear mongering of OVOV….at the end of the day they don’t care about saving money or keeping kids safe, they care about getting back the control they have lost. As a side note, just have a look at the motley crew of supporters they have, do you really trust them?”

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Governor Christie Announces Trio of Fiscally Responsible Public Employee Contract Agreements

Chris_christie_theridgewoodblog

August 29, 2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

IFPTE & IBEW Financial Terms Protect Taxpayers, Ensure Public Services

Trenton, NJ , Governor Chris Christie today announced a key public employee contract agreement with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), as well as two agreements with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). These state worker contracts, reflective of the state’s fiscal realities and budget challenges, will not require tax hikes, as taxpayers routinely experienced under past governors.

IFPTE’s negotiated settlement, ratified by the union last month, is retroactive to July 1, 2015 and extends through Fiscal Year 2019. Its financial terms include the following across-the-board salary increases: July 1, 2015 – 0 percent; July 1, 2016 – 0 percent; July 1, 2017 – 1.75 percent, and July 1, 2018 – 1.5 percent. This contract covers approximately 4,500 employees of the state and public higher education institutions.

The two negotiated settlements ratified by IBEW locals this month are also retroactive to July 1, 2015 and extend through Fiscal Year 2019, including the same across-the-board salary increases as IFPTE’s settlement. These two contracts cover an approximate total of 1,150 state employees, including several hundred in various managerial positions and hundreds of state attorneys.

“We have again negotiated fiscally responsible state employee contracts that protect taxpayers, provide the budgetary flexibility to fund public services and keep government wages in line with the private sector,” Governor Christie said. “This is how public worker negotiations should be, with union leaders and membership agreeing to sustainable fiscal decisions that they understand will benefit all residents. These are model public employee contracts to be followed by government at all levels in New Jersey and across the country.”

As Governor Christie has previously noted, he has similar expectations from the other public employee unions with which the Administration continues to negotiate another round of labor contracts.

In its first round of agreements with state employee unions, the Christie administration stood with taxpayers to produce 0-percent wage increases for tens of thousands of employees in 2011 and 2012, followed by a 1-percent increase and 1.75-percent increase in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Under the governor’s leadership, across-the-board wage increases have totaled only 6 percent over eight-years of negotiated agreements, an average of just .75 percent per year, which is in addition to the landmark pension and health benefit reforms enacted to save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.