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Old 10-22-2010, 12:37 PM
 
Location: Ridgewood NJ
592 posts, read 2,188,377 times
Reputation: 316

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Hi christie, instead of cutting infrastructure projects like the new tunnel that will benefit NJ tremendously long term, how about cut the ACTUAL WASTE? This is just 1 example, they are widespread across all of NJ's agencies, all the leeches sucking the nj taxpayers dry.

Utter disgrace...

Quote:

MYFOXNY.COM - Auditors say the New Jersey Turnpike Authority wasted $43 million on unneeded perks and bonuses. In one case, an employee with a base salary of $73,469 earned $321,985 when all payouts and bonuses were included.

The audit says that toll dollars From the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway were spent on items ranging from an employee bowling league to employee bonuses for working on birthdays and holidays.

It took place as tolls were being increased.

The biggest expense uncovered in the audit was $30 million in unjustified bonuses to employees and management in 2008 and 2009 without consideration of performance.

One example was paying employees overtime for removing snow and working holidays and then giving additional "snow removal bonuses" and "holiday bonuses."

The Comptroller's Office audit released Tuesday says taxpayers also paid $430,000 for free E-ZPass transponders for employees to get to work and nearly $90,000 in scholarships for workers' kids.

The audit shows turnpike authority employees got bonuses and overtime for working their birthdays and holidays.

Comptroller Matt Boxer says tolls are set for another increase in 2012.

"While tolls are going up, the Turnpike Authority is overpaying its employees, overpaying its management, overpaying for its health plan and overpaying for legal services," Boxer said in a statement.

Public money was also used to cover costs for a toll operators event that none of the authority's employees actually attended.

Another audit finding was that employees were allowed to cash out a portion of their unused sick and vacation days at the end of the year to circumvent the current $15,000 limit for sick leave payouts upon retirement. That cost $3.8 million a year.

Among the questionable legal expenses was a billing for $111,840 for a law firm's weekly internal status meetings that were generally attended by 10 to 15 of the firm's attorneys and two to three of its paralegals.

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/traffic/...es-20101019-apx (http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/traffic/traffic_news/audit-excessive-perks-for-nj-turnpike-employees-20101019-apx - broken link)
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Old 10-22-2010, 01:29 PM
 
Location: New Jersey/Florida
5,818 posts, read 12,631,008 times
Reputation: 4414
If they cut the waste u could actually probably cut tolls in half never mind raising them again. Corzine pushed for the raise.Think he was looking for some votes.
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Old 10-22-2010, 02:37 PM
 
391 posts, read 1,476,843 times
Reputation: 222
Quote:
Originally Posted by gagaliya View Post
Hi christie, instead of cutting infrastructure projects like the new tunnel that will benefit NJ tremendously long term, how about cut the ACTUAL WASTE? This is just 1 example, they are widespread across all of NJ's agencies, all the leeches sucking the nj taxpayers dry.

Utter disgrace...
you really don't get it do you? union contracts and sweetheart deals created this situation, and the turnpike authority labor union contracts don't expire until 2011. i think it's fair to say that Chistie will address the issue as soon as he's able.
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Old 10-22-2010, 03:19 PM
 
Location: Ridgewood NJ
592 posts, read 2,188,377 times
Reputation: 316
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hal Jalikeakick View Post
you really don't get it do you?
no i dont.
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Old 10-22-2010, 03:35 PM
 
Location: Central NJ
71 posts, read 163,032 times
Reputation: 36
I dont get it either....wish my higher salary translated to half of that takers benefits and perks, not to mention an infinite supply of quarters for slot machines
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Old 10-23-2010, 08:55 AM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,605 posts, read 84,857,016 times
Reputation: 115156
Quote:
Originally Posted by TommyG. View Post
I dont get it either....wish my higher salary translated to half of that takers benefits and perks, not to mention an infinite supply of quarters for slot machines
Snicker.

But sadly, I haven't seen any slot machines that actually take quarters for a long time now, at least not in A.C. They take bills and tickets.
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Old 10-24-2010, 11:03 AM
 
Location: North Jersey
9 posts, read 47,660 times
Reputation: 16
Why not force everyone to get an EZPass. Now there's a thought!
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Old 10-24-2010, 11:15 AM
pvs
 
1,845 posts, read 3,367,187 times
Reputation: 1538
Quote:
Originally Posted by luvmygadgets View Post
Why not force everyone to get an EZPass. Now there's a thought!
Well, fully electronic tolls ARE coming. Those who don't have EZ-Pass will be billed through the mail. Problem is ... the bills will go to whomever the car is registered to, and THAT might not be accurate. So anyone who lends his/her registered car to someone else will need to be prepared to pay for that person's tolls, and then, if they wish, recoup the money from them.

It WILL be easier for the folks who have EZ-Pass, but it cannot be forced on people in it's current form, because some people don't have bank accounts (the "unbanked"), and these people must have a way to travel.
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Old 10-24-2010, 11:59 AM
 
4,287 posts, read 10,772,397 times
Reputation: 3811
Privacy issues would be brought up if EZ pass was anything but optional
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Old 10-24-2010, 05:54 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,605 posts, read 84,857,016 times
Reputation: 115156
Quote:
Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan View Post
Privacy issues would be brought up if EZ pass was anything but optional
That's already being taken into consideration. There is no "if" about this. All-Electronic Tolling (AET) is coming. It may not be E-Z Pass specifically, but it will be some form of AET.

Planning and studies for this are going on all over the country and have been for some years now. Type All-Electronic Tolling as an exact phrase into Google. Eventually there will also be interchangeability between highway and bridge and tunnel authorities, more so than now, and across state and regional lines.

Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 10-24-2010 at 06:07 PM..
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