Corzine coming to E.B. to discuss toll hike plan
Boisterous crowd pans proposal during gov's Marlboro stop Monday
BY REBECCA MORTON & VINCENT TODARO Staff Writers
Gov. Jon Corzine is scheduled to hold a "town hall" meeting in East Brunswick Sunday and will discuss his controversial proposal to raise tolls.

Corzine is making stops in all 21 counties in New Jersey to explain his Financial Restructuring and Debt Reduction plan. The meetings are free and open to the public. Sunday's will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at East Brunswick High School, 380 Cranbury Road.

Corzine received a not-so-warm welcome on Monday when he visited Marlboro High School in Monmouth County to present his toll hike plan. The governor was met with protesters outside the building and a large crowd of opposition inside the school's auditorium. A crowd of over 1,000 people came to hear the discussion, with some being sent to an overflow room.

Introducing the governor was U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12), who was met with jeers for his support of Corzine's plan. Holt was drowned out by the audience after he mentioned that the plan "will hit Monmouth County hard."

Trying to explain his plan to the gathered crowd proved to be hard for Corzine, who had to stop at times and wait for the roar of the crowd to die down before he could proceed.

Corzine's plan, which would dramatically increase tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway, as well as placing a toll on Route 440, is designed to address the state's $32 billion debt. Much of the proposal relies on using toll revenues to pay off debt, as well as to fund various road improvement projects.

First outlined during his State of the State address on Jan. 8, the plan involves at least four 50 percent toll increases, starting in 2010 and continuing in 2014, 2018 and 2022. After that, tolls would continue to increase every four years to keep up with inflation until 2085. The roads would be overseen by what has been called a Public Benefits Corp., an independent entity that will issue bonds that would be paid off by the increased toll revenue. The money gained would then be used to pay about half the state's debt, with the remainder going into funding road improvements.

At Monday's presentation, Corzine went over shortsighted financial decisions that were made over the years, noting the belief in 2002 that inflation revenue figures would pay for new spending. He also said that the first $860 in household taxes goes to paying interest and debt payments. Graphs displayed the net taxsupported debt outstanding on a rise of roughly 13 percent since 1990.

Without taking action, New Jersey's transportation needs will have no money to fund them after 2011, Corzine said. He added that $40 billion is needed over the next decade for safety and congestion relief purposes, including attention to 700 bridges in the state that are deemed deficient.

In projections of toll revenue over a course of nine years, starting with fiscal year 2009, the governor told those assembled that this money would be reinvested in the areas where it was generated, showing Monmouth County a $2.9 billion return.

When the meeting was opened up to the public for comments, residents rushed to form lines, eager to express their opinions on the controversial plan.

State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth and Mercer) was met with overwhelming applause when she approached the microphone to tell Corzine and those present that she stands in opposition to his plan.

Beck spoke of $1.5 million in cuts that had previously been denied by the governor. Corzine interrupted Beck, saying some of her proposals were for illegal cuts.

"We must restructure the liability for our pension and health benefits. Last year you were in negotiations with the union and you had an opportunity to do that, and you did only very minimal changes. That liability grows each and every year. We must statutorily change, for new public employees, what benefits they receive when they retire, so that liability starts to even out," Beck told Corzine, adding that the cap on state spending must be constitutional, that it must be approved by 67 percent of the Legislature.

"My question is this: This is a 75-year plan- you can't predict what new governors and new Legislatures will do with this $40 billion of debt, which is not paying off anything. This is an AmEx card to pay off your Visa Platinum," Beck said.

Town council waits on action

Corzine's scheduled visit to East Brunswick prompted Mayor William Neary to ask the Township Council to hold off on passing a resolution condemning the proposed toll hikes last week. The idea came up during the Jan. 28 meeting, when Councilman David Stahl said Middlesex County residents are already overburdened by tolls, and that the council should try to convince Corzine that the proposed increase is a bad idea.

Stahl saidMiddlesex County residents pay 16 percent of the state's E-ZPass tolls, though they only make up 9 percent of the state's population. He said the charges for tolls in the county are higher than in some other parts of the state, which accounts for the higher percentage. It is not due to county residents' using the road more frequently.

Stahl added that tolls for the turnpike are more expensive in the northern parts of the state than in the southern, which he feels is unfair to area residents.

"I don't understand [why there is] the disparity," he said at the council meeting.

Councilwoman Nancy Pinkin said she has already advised the administration of her desire to pass a resolution regarding the proposed toll increases. She recommended spreading the tolls out further to lessen their impact on county residents.

Stahl noted that theMiddlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders has already passed a resolution regarding the proposed toll increases, and said the council should follow suit.

But Neary urged the council to first listen to Corzine's presentation at the high school before making any judgment on the toll hikes. Neary said the governor personally explained to him many of the issues regarding the toll increases.

"At least let him make his proposal to us," Neary said, adding that it would be the "proper" thing to do rather than relying on what has been reported and said about the increases.

Neary added that he doubts the proposal now being discussed will be the one that is ultimately passed.

Stahl noted that Corzine is set to speak one day before the council's meeting. He said he applauds the fact Corzine is attempting to address the state's financial woes, but that tolls are just another type of tax.

He also said he is opposed to the idea of adding tolls to Route 440.