TRENTON, N.J. — The left-wing mob is firmly in control of Trenton. No single policy better “success” better illustrates this new hegemony than the recently-enacted $15 minimum wage hike will be phased-in starting this July.
One New Jersey legislator says exempting towns from the hike would help ameliorate one of the law’s most harmful, arguably unintended consequences.
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A large number of local employees earn at-or-below $15 per hour setting the stage for significant new expense increases in the years to come. The Mayor of Middletown, New Jersey has estimated that the new law will increase his town’s payroll by $750,000 per year. For Burlington County government? $312,713 is the projected increase.
State Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40) is proposing legislation to exempt municipalities from the increases.
“The new minimum wage law is forcing local leaders to make impossible choices,” Senator Corrado said in a statement late last week. “Many of our towns currently provide extremely affordable community services, such as daycare, summer camp, and recreational classes for seniors. The unintended consequence of this law is that many of these programs will disappear, unless we take action to keep local government programs accessible.”
“Given our two-percent cap, there is only so much wiggle room in local budgets, so raising taxes to cover higher wages isn’t really an option,” Corrado continued. “If we want to continue to keep families and seniors in our communities, we should do everything we can to preserve these programs now.”
Higher municipal tax levies isn’t the only threat. Corrado noted that minimum wage employees often include teens who staff summer camps, school after-care programs, pools, parks, recreational centers, and even beaches as beach tag checkers. These jobs could be eliminated without action.
“It breaks my heart to think of all the working parents who won’t be able to find childcare this summer if these programs aren’t available,” Corrado added. “Our residents shouldn’t pay the price for progressive politics and we can’t keep asking taxpayers to foot the bill, either. We have a responsibility to listen to the local leaders in our communities and respond to their concerns. They have been clear about what will happen if we don’t take action. I hope that we can restore this exemption before they are forced to cut these invaluable services and programs.”
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