Authorities outdo state in treating employees N.J. inspector general reports on disparities Tuesday, October 24, 2006 • BY JOE DONOHUE AND MARK MUELLER • Star-Ledger Staff Employees at dozens of New Jersey's independent authorities, dubbed an "invisible government" by Gov. Jon Corzine last month, typically receive more-generous benefits than their counterparts who work for the state, an analysis by the Inspector General's Office concludes. The analysis, released yesterday, found that while personnel policies varied from authority to authority, employees in many cases received more vacation or sick days than state workers did. At some authorities, employees were reimbursed at a higher rate for meals or travel. Policies that allow workers to "cash in" unused sick days or vacation days also were, on balance, more generous, according to the 55-page report. The report recommended the policies be revised "where appropriate and feasible" to match what is provided to state employees. Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper declined to comment on her findings. New Jersey has more than 50 independent authorities. The Inspector General's findings give momentum to those seek ing more oversight of authorities, some of which have been called patronage mills that are too lax with public money. In September, Cor zine signed an executive order re quiring authorities to award contracts through competitive bidding and to file annual reports. It was Corzine's predecessor in the governor's office, Richard Codey, who initiated the move to rein in the agencies, which employ tens of thousands of people and manage or borrow billions of dol lars. Codey, also Senate president, asked Cooper to conduct the review. Yesterday, Codey (D-Essex) said he wasn't entirely surprised by the findings: "I think now we know why they call them 'independent authorities.'" But Cooper's report provides a "road map to say, "Okay, over time we can reel them in," he said. Corzine's spokesman, Anthony Coley, said Cooper's call for unifor mity in benefits is a "logical next step." Some examples of the findings: The state observes 13 holidays, but some authorities allow more. The federally funded North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority takes the week off between Christmas and New Year's Day. For state workers, one year's earned vacation time may be carried over into the following year, and employees are paid for unused days when they leave their job. Some authorities allow two years' vacation time to be carried over, and several allow workers to cash in some unused time at the end of each year. The state reimburses employees at 31 cents per mile when they use their own cars for state business. Fourteen authorities, including the Schools Construction Corp., NJ Transit and the Turnpike Authority, instead use the reimbursement rate allowed by the IRS, 44.5 cents per mile. The report also touches on an nual salaries, finding that 24 authority workers earned more than $200,000. By comparison, a review of the March 2006 state payroll by The Star-Ledger indicates the largest state salary at that time was $179,048. Staff writers Ted Sherman, Mat thew Reilly, Dunstan McNichol and Joseph R. Perone contributed to this report. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.