Dear Editor:
I would like to comment on property tax relief by ostracizing employees who happen to be in two state pension plans. I fall into this category. I am a fire captain with the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue. I also work part time for the Township of Weehawken as a fire inspector.
I am told state law requires all employees earning more than $1,500.00 per year to join the state pension system or Public Employees Pension System (PEPS). I worked in both these capacities for the Township of Weehawken and was only in the Police and Fireman’s retirement system (PFRS). When the fire services regionalized in North Hudson, I, in effect, had two different employers; thereby having two pension plans. The thought of working stiffs like me as abusers of “the system” is ludicrous. Fire inspectors for the most part are firemen. To my knowledge, no one else is really interested in these type positions and municipalities hire us firemen as part time inspectors. This saves the municipalities the added expense of having to provide health benefits to full time civilian inspectors, if they could even find them. Many working people need two jobs to help meet their family’s financial obligations, we are no different. There very well may be abusers of the pension system(s), but to throw us all together is wrong. Most of us work hard, perform a public service, pay into our pension plans and save municipalities some expense to boot.
The real shame of the matter is that news agencies with their editorials propagate that we, two pension system employees, are the root of the problem, and the average reader now believes this malarkey. Convincing the general public that the property tax problems in the State of New Jersey hinge on us two pension plan employees is a disservice. We hard working civil servants should not be demonized in the public’s eyes as the sole reason for out of control deficits. We are not the reason property taxes in New Jersey are out of control. The need to cut pension spending should be looked at and laws changed to reflect permanent positions within the municipal and state work force.
I would like Governor Corzine and his staff to disclose the amount of money which would be saved by limiting pension contributions for “double dippers.” I believe this would be just a “drop in the bucket.” Spending in all areas needs to be curtailed, and general funding from property taxes must be changed. Otherwise, throwing the “double dippers” out of one system or the other will really have little overall effect on property taxes.
Sincerely,
Dave Flood
Fire Captain NHRF&R/Weehawken Fire Inspector