By CNBNews.net
REAL REFORM IS NEEDED-The emotional talks between the City of Gloucester City and the paid firefighters were resolved after their union representatives agreed to no pay raises for their members over a period of three years. The contract talks between the city and the police remains in arbitration.
Layoffs in the fire department were avoided this year but what happens the next time. Mayor Bill James said , \”the issue of layoffs will be addressed again in the near future. City Council knows this and so does the unions.\”
Gloucester City’s fiscal problems will not be solved without real reform. Tinkering with employee’s contracts and reducing departments through attrition will have little effect on keeping property taxes down.
Republican Governor Chris Christie and the Democrat controlled legislature reached an historic deal last week that will cap property taxes at 2 percent beginning in 2011. This legislation will profoundly affect how local governments manage and pay their employees in the near future.
For now Gloucester City and some other communities looking for much needed revenue have increased permit fees. But that is a one- time fix.
Richard Harris, a professor of political science at Rutgers-Camden told a Courier Post
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