West Caldwell has gone to the mat with its police department to close its budget gap. Irvington has put a massive furlough program in place. Now it’s Bloomfield’s turn. According to Baristanet, a town councilwoman is confirming that there will be layoffs in that town.
To get an understanding of why there is so much wrangling involved when governments try to do what the public sector has been doing for months, take a look at a scathing report released this week by New Jersey’s State Commission of Investigation. It found that, across the state, tens of millions in taxpayer dollars are being wasted on all sorts of crazy benefits for municipal employees–like paid time off to do holiday shopping and go to weddings. The Record notes that the problems are particularly glaring in Bergen County.
