July 7th deadline looms
The Mayors of Wyckoff and Franklin Lakes have signed on in support of Governor Chris Christie’s call for a constitutional amendment called Proposition 2.5.
The constitutional amendment would put a 2.5% cap on municipal spending with exceptions allowed only when rateables grow, or the voters approve going over the cap. While mayors in Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, Mahwah, Ringwood, Midland Park, Pompton Lakes, and Ridgewood have signed on in support, it is Mayor Booker of Newark who is gaining the most press coverage for his support.
Mayor Booker has hopes for some changes prior to a vote in November, but Booker agrees in principal with the Christie proposal which would include health-care costs and pensions as part of the municipal spending cap. Many mayors around NJ would prefer to see an alternative plan that has a cap of 2.9%, and a variety of loopholes that include most of the major cost drivers such as health insurance and pensions.
Mayor Boonstra of Wyckoff, who recently won the Republican primary for Mayor in Wyckoff, was an early supporter of what was being called the 33 Point Plan back in early May. The 33 points referred to the reforms involving arbitration and pension benefit payments which would help municipalities contain costs. Mayor DeNicola, who is seeking a freeholder seat in Bergen County, was another May supporter of the proposal.
Governor Chris Christie has been seeking the support of local mayors as he fights an early July deadline to get the measure on the ballot in November. Many mayors are concerned that the consititutional amendment would force them to cut vital services, and prefer the alternative plan. Others, such as Oakland, are saying they need more time to consider all the ramifications.
While a mayor’s symbolic act of support carries no legal weight, a Constitutional amendment is another matter. It must pass with sixty percent of the vote in both chambers of the NJ legislature, and then be approved by voters at the ballot box in November. The 2.5 Proposition must pass the relevant committees in the Assembly and Senate by July 7 in order to appear on the November ballot this year.