Convention
on taxes faltering in Senate
Top Democrats prefer special
legislative session
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 • BY TOM HESTER AND JOE DONOHUE
• Star-Ledger Staff
Senate Democrats will reject the idea of
a constitutional convention to confront New Jersey's
highest-in-the-nation property taxes and suggest the problem
should instead be tackled by a special session of the
Legislature, according to three officials close to the
issue.
The Assembly passed legislation last
month to ask voters to approve an unprecedented property tax
convention, but it will not be reviewed by the Senate
Judiciary Committee on Thursday, the last time the panel
will meet before the summer recess begins at the end of the
month.
Senate Democrats and acting Gov. Richard
Codey, who is also the Senate president, have been cool to
the convention measure because it would not allow any
discussion of how to trim costs in local governments and
school districts. The convention is also opposed by the
powerful New Jersey Education Association teachers union,
which is concerned about the potential impact on teacher
salaries and pensions.
The convention idea, however, has been
endorsed by U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, the presumptive
Democratic gubernatorial nominee, putting pressure on Codey
and Senate Democrats to take a position on property tax
reform.
Codey declined to comment yesterday on
the special session proposal. Senate Majority Leader Bernard
Kenny (D-Hudson) said Senate Democrats have "not reached a
consensus for the time being."
"We have had concerns (about a
convention) and we continue to have them," Kenny said. "No
formal statement of position is going to be articulated as
of today."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John
Adler (D-Camden), the leading Senate proponent of a
convention, also said no decision has been made.
"Realistically, we could work through the
summer to get this done or to get something else done, once
they determine what the approach is," Adler said.
Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Roberts
(D-Camden), the chief convention proponent in the lower
house, said he is willing to consider changes in the
Assembly measure, but opposes holding a special
session.
"I think that a special session
represents false hope because veteran members of the
Legislature have had ample opportunity to solve the problem
and have failed to do so," Roberts said. "It seems
incredibly unfair and short-sighted not to be willing to
have a committee hearing."
Corzine said yesterday he would be
"disappointed" if the Legislature refuses to authorize a
convention. He said a convention is the best option because
it would demand more public involvement; both the convention
idea and its subsequent recommendations to reduce property
taxes would be subject to voter approval.
Under this scenario, Corzine said,
residents might not feel solutions are being "crammed down
their throats by the political leadership."
But Corzine has also said he is open to a
special legislative session if the convention idea falls
through.
"We are going to attack it one way or the
other because we need to make a decision about the burden of
taxation that funds our schools," Corzine said.
The New Jersey State League of
Municipalities, the AARP, the Council of Black Ministers of
New Jersey and the Citizens for Property Tax Reform are
planning a pro-convention "Trenton Tea Party" rally at the
Statehouse in Trenton when the Senate meets on June
16.
William G. Dressel, the League of
Municipalities' director, said he has alerted municipal
officials that the Judiciary Committee will not act on the
convention bill (A-5269/ S-2585) on Thursday and wants them
to pressure senators.
"In his State of the State speech on Jan.
11, acting Governor Codey said, 'We must consider ... and
act upon ... the property tax convention,'" Dressel said.
"Maybe those words meant something different to Governor
Codey and the state senators in his audience. But as we
understand government, to consider means to think about
something; while a legislator 'acts upon' a bill by voting
for or against it."
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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