By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
File this under “reasons why people who say raising the gas tax is the only way to fund New Jersey’s roads are full of crap,” Save Jerseyans. Wordy, yes, but accurate.
Today, we learned that the Woodbridge Developmental Center kept 800 employees son the pay roll, collecting full pay while performing no duties, in the immediate run-up to its 2014 closing. That’s according to a report from the state auditor which you can view here.
What happened to the “hubs” that once housed patients?
Employees used them to play games and watch television on taxpayer time.
This absurdity was enabled by Civil Service rules that permit public employees facing layoffs to explore other work opportunities. Then the state compounded the problem by requesting a 27 day extension to the 120-day notification requirement. The auditor report blasted that decision as unnecessary, but the state ended up paying $2.7 million for card-playing and television binging.
The money to fund our roads is out there, folks. Cutting spending, attacking the actual cost-drivers, and cracking down on the kind of abuse we found at the Woodbridge Developmental Center could solve the problem. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
BTW – here’s the anti-gas tax hike petition link if you haven’t signed it yet.
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Not a surprise.
In the Keystone State I’m enjoying super low property taxes and a flat income tax of 3.07%. Heh heh heh…suck it, loyal Jerseyans. Suck it long, suck it hard and choke on it.