TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Ronald L. Rice which would create greater oversight and control of municipal and county employee salaries was approved by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee today by a vote of 3-0, with two abstentions.
“Unfortunately, the patronage system is alive and well in New Jersey, and taxpayers pay the cost through higher and higher property taxes,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex, and vice chair of the Senate committee. “While a vast majority of the public employees work hard and earn their paychecks, we need to be constantly on guard against no-show patronage hires which seek to enrich an elite few on the taxpayer’s dime. This bill would create an additional layer of oversight and review in municipal and county salary actions in order to protect and preserve limited public resources.”