Approach would keep taxpayers from repeatedly paying to repair flooded properties while providing a buffer to help protect nearby properties from flooding
TRENTON — A bill authorizing the state to seek $100 million in bonds for emergency infrastructure repairs in flooded towns moved out of a key Senate committee this afternoon at the pleading of a group of mayors whose towns are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Irene.
Authorization for the bonds would come from a little-used provision of the state Constitution allowing legislators to bypass voter approval in emergency situations.
S-3099 was released from the Senate Budget Appropriations Committee along party lines with Republicans saying they did not want to saddle New Jersey residents with debt they did not approve, particularly when more costly repair projects are expected in the next few years.
The committee also released a bill, S-3078, that would allow counties and municipalities to use so-called Blue Acres funding to purchase properties in flood-prone areas. That measure passed with bipartisan support.
Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Bergen) said the bond bill he sponsored would pay for emergency repairs not covered by insurance or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This would be a supplement to the $7.5 million the state has dedicated for storm damage repairs.
Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Passaic) said the bond amount wouldn't come close to what is needed. He also said it would mislead communities into believing help is on the way when the Senate is not scheduled to take up this issue for at least five weeks.
But Saddle Brook Mayor Karen Chamberlain said residents, who have had to deal with raw sewage in the floodwaters, need all the help they can get.
"As small as it appears to you ... we're living in sewers. We need this help and we need it now," she said.
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