The special session bills aimed at capping property taxes and reforming pensions would also achieve major portions of NJSBA’s goals in the area of employee benefits reform.

Certain provisions of the property tax cap bill (A-1) and the pension reform bill (S-17) would—

• Permit employee contributions to premium. (A-1)
  
  
• Allow school districts to offer employees incentives to waive duplicate coverage. (S-17)
  
  
• Allow variations in levels of coverage for different classifications of employees, based on date of initial employment, salary and other factors. (A-1)

In late December, a coalition of public employer organizations, including NJSBA, sent a letter to Gov. Corzine asking him to support these reforms.

Without them, “there is very little local government employers can do to control increasing health benefits costs.  The losers in this situation will be local property taxpayers,” wrote the executive directors of the organizations.

Groups in the coalition represent local school boards, municipalities, counties and county colleges.