Statutary Funding for NJT in NJ State Constitution under consideration

[jis]

https://whyy.org/articles/n-j-senat...RSPIHbfCKZnbEJezBgjbobf5QrbbxQ2b4PTK8YhURILII

N.J. Senate President Sweeney wants annual $500M for NJ Transit in the state constitution

A top New Jersey lawmaker wants to change the state constitution to dedicate $500 million for public transit each year.

Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said the constitutional amendment is necessary to ensure New Jersey Transit has a reliable funding stream and guard against the ebb and flow of annual budgetary priorities.

“If you constitutionally dedicate funding, then they can rely on that funding year after year,” Sweeney said of the agency.

Sweeney would need the backing of the legislature to pass the amendment before it went to voters for the final say.

The plan would take $300 million from the corporate business tax, $125 million from New Jersey Turnpike revenues, and $75 from the state’s Clean Energy Fund.

......

 

[Bonser]

https://whyy.org/articles/n-j-senat...RSPIHbfCKZnbEJezBgjbobf5QrbbxQ2b4PTK8YhURILII

Now if Congress would only enact dedicated funding

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Either way, Steve Sweeney, the savvy guy from South Jersey, gets a win out of this. If the funding gets into the Constitution, he can take credit for it. If it doesn't, he can say the governor (his enemy from despised North Jersey) didn't support it so it's the governor's fault it's not in there.

The governor is being noncommittal (saying "We want to work collaboratively," wishy-washy jargon that means nothing).

In other related news, the guy who was hired in the "new" position of customer advocate apparently applied for the position before it was created, and he is advocating, for sure--as a PR person for NJT!

And something I'm finding interesting--the timetables have not changed, but all my NJT trains (both light rail and larger commuter rail) have been routinely leaving/arriving two minutes earlier. I have a feeling they were told to do that as a sneaky way for them to be "late" less often!

 

[trainman74]

Seems like it's a little shortsighted to put a specific dollar amount in the constitution. What about inflation, or unforeseen future needs? (I'm sure the official answer is that the legislature is free to allocate supplemental funding above the constitutionally mandated level, but how likely is that, really?)

 

[Pere Flyer]

A similar question raised: Is it smart to be laissez-faire and trust the agency to decide how to allocate the constitutionally dedicated funding (e.g. operating vs capital) or to stipulate those details in the amendment/pass future legislation?

 

[jis]

It is well known that all the specification has never stopped NJT from getting exemptions and they have successfully converted Capital budget money to Operating money. Indeed without that NJT would have been out of busines at least a decade back, if not earlier. They would have been sitting on a pile of Capital money and perhaps rail equipment with no staff to operate most of them. The legislature is uniquely ill equipped for pre-determining such things, if history is any indication at all.

 

[Bob Dylan]

It is well known that all the specification has never stopped NJT from getting exemptions and they have successfully converted Capital budget money to Operating money. Indeed without that NJT would have been out of busines at least a decade back, if not earlier. They would have been sitting on a pile of Capital money and perhaps rail equipment with no staff to operate most of them. The legislature is uniquely ill equipped for pre-determining such things, if history is any indication at all.

Plus the Governors haven't been the Sharpest Knives in the drawer either!