O’Scanlon Introduces PFRS Management Bill with Property Taxpayer Protections
Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) has introduced legislation that would provide police and firemen greater control of their pension system, while safeguarding property taxpayers from losses.
Sen. Declan O’Scanlon’s legislation would provide police and firemen greater control of their pension system, while safeguarding property taxpayers from losses. (SenateNJ.com)
“I understand the desire of PFRS members to assume greater control over their pension fund, but it shouldn’t be unchecked control that leaves property taxpayers on the hook for bad decisions they may make,” said O’Scanlon, a member of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee. “Our new legislation addresses the concerns of counties and municipalities that they wouldn’t have an equal say in important pension fund decisions, despite their taxpayers being liable for losses. We’re also ensuring that any benefit enhancements approved by the new PFRS board are sustainable over the long term, another protection for property taxpayers.”
O’Scanlon Introduces Interest Arbitration Legislation to Reinstate Expired Cap
Interest Arbitration Cap Saved Property Taxpayers Almost $600 million in Direct Costs and Billions Overall from 2011 to 2017
Senator Declan O’Scanlon has introduced legislation that would reinstate one of the key tools that allowed New Jersey’s two-percent property tax cap to successfully contain the growth of tax bills from 2011 to 2017.
Sen. Declan O’Scanlon has introduced interest arbitration legislation to reinstate caps that saved property taxpayers almost $600 million from 2011 to 2017. (SenateNJ.com)
The interest arbitration cap limits to two-percent annually the salary increases that can be awarded when disputed police and fire contracts enter the process of binding arbitration.
“One of the biggest mistakes made by the Legislature in recent memory was allowing the arbitration cap to expire at the end of 2017,” said O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth). “If we don’t act quickly to reinstate the arbitration cap we’ll quickly see arbitration awards that exceed the 2% tax cap and the beginning of the evisceration of that essential property tax control. As the noose tightens, we’ll see labor costs skyrocket over time and eat up local budgets at the expense of other important programs and services. That would likely lead to the failure of New Jersey’s two-percent property tax cap. Let me be clear, any legislator who doesn’t back this bill is standing for higher property taxes. One cannot legitimately say he or she backs property tax caps without embracing this bill.”
O’Scanlon & DiMaso Oppose Oil Drilling Off NJ Coast
Call for Fair Exemption Considerations for New Jersey
Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (both R-Monmouth) issued the following statement today regarding proposed offshore oil drilling:
Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Asw. Serena DiMaso expressed opposition to oil drilling off the New Jersey coast. (Flickr)
“We strongly oppose the efforts of U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to expand drilling off the Jersey Shore. Five years after Superstorm Sandy our coastal communities have made strides towards recovery; we cannot put all of our efforts in jeopardy for a potentially very small amount of oil. New Jersey’s tourism industry supports 10% of our economy. Any oil spill in the Atlantic Ocean could cause devastation to our coastal communities.
