RESOLUTION No. _______-______           

Name of Municipality, Name of County, New Jersey

A Resolution Endorsing an Increase in State Police Surcharges to Fund State Budget
Shortfalls in Lieu of Reliance upon Local Purpose Tax Increases

WHEREAS, Governor Jon S. Corzine’s proposed Fiscal Year 2009 budget identifies a shortfall in New Jersey State Police funding of $ 20.5 million, and

WHEREAS, the administration plans to start charging municipalities for State Police services, and doing so would negatively affect municipal budgets and thus require municipalities to raise local purpose taxes, and

WHEREAS, the aforementioned proposed budget calls for cuts in municipal aid which also would require municipalities to raise local purpose taxes, and

WHEREAS, Directive 15 from the governor also requires municipalities to meet new security requirements in their courts, resulting in additional capital expenditures in municipal budgets while no state funding offsets are provided, and

WHEREAS, on February 22, 2007, many mayors, other elected and appointed municipal officials met with the Attorney General and State Police offering a solution to the State Police budget shortfall-namely, increasing surcharges on fines levied by the State Police, and

WHEREAS, P. L. 2007, c.335 (C. 39:2A-36.1) allows the Motor Vehicle Commission governing Board to increase the surcharges listed in that statute, and

WHEREAS, charging those who violate state statutes would fund the State Police Budget shortfall in lieu of relying on New Jersey property taxpayers is a sensible solution to address the problem, and

WHEREAS, on March 19, 2008, mayors, elected and appointed officials met again with the Governor’s Deputy chief of Staff, other members of the administration, and the State Police, reiterating this fair solution, and recommended that the administration set the appropriate surcharge rates that would cover the shortfall, as well as that monies collected may also be returned to communities to cover additional court security expenses,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the governing body of (                                           ),
County of (                     ), hereby resolves that it endorses the sensible solution proposed –to raise surcharges on motor vehicle fines rather than rely on New Jersey property tax payers to fund any State Police shortfall,

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to the Governor, the members of the State Legislature, and the New Jersey League of Municipalities.