Governor Christie Vetoes New Jersey Turnpike Authority Minutes
Moving forward in his effort to curtail unnecessary and inappropriate spending at the State’s boards, commissions and authorities, Governor Chris Christie today exercised his eighth veto since taking office.
Today the Governor vetoed five professional services contracts approved by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority at its February 23, 2010 meeting.
“The New Jersey Turnpike Authority decided to approve contract costs that ignore New Jersey Administrative Code guidelines for negotiating fair and reasonable fees,” Governor Christie said. “We simply can no longer tolerate this unreasonable spending and must hold these agencies accountable for their actions.”
Governor Christie’s veto concerns the award of five contracts:
1. $2.34 million to Churchill Consulting Engineers for supervision of construction services for certain guiderail improvements and pavement restoration contracts;
2. $980,000 to Hill International for supervision of construction services for construction of the Holmdel Motor Vehicle Maintenance Facility and installation of the PNC Bank Arts Amphitheater improvements;
3. $476,000 to KS Engineers, P.C. for supervision of construction services related to certain contracts for sign panel replacements and overhead variable message sign support structures fabrication;
4. $735,200 to Dresder Robin Environmental Management, Inc for operation, maintenance and compliance monitoring of environmental remediation systems at the Montvale and Vauxhall service areas on the Garden State Parkway;
5. $545,000 to Hatch Mott MacDonald for operation, maintenance and compliance monitoring of environmental remediation systems at the Brookdale North and Brookdale South service areas on the Garden State Parkway. The fees ranged from 11.5% to 84% higher than the fees proposed by other highly-ranked firms competing for the contracts.
“The Governor’s action reinforces the kind of change that I’ve been working to bring to the Turnpike since the new administration took office,” said Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson.
No veto power was exercised as to any other actions taken by the Authority at its meeting on February 23, 2010.
In other news:
Governor Chris Christie released the following statement praising the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
“Today’s vote by the Assembly Appropriations Committee is another positive step toward reforming our broken pension system. I applaud the Committee for its passage of this legislation. This brings us closer to completing the work begun over three years ago on these important reforms. The only way we will get our state’s finances in order, revive our economy and bring solvency to the system is through working together to make fundamental, needed changes to state and local governments. I look forward to the swift passage of this package of bills by the Assembly so they can be forwarded to my desk to be signed into law. In addition, I am committed to working with members of both parties in the Assembly and in the Senate to pass additional, much-needed reforms.”
Topics: 2010, business, Churchill Consulting Engineers, construction, contract costs, contracts, cost, Dresder Robin Environmental Management, economic development, economic recovery, Economy, employee contracts, employees, employment, Garden State Parkway, Governance, government, Governor Chris Christie, Hatch Mott MacDonald, Hill International, Holmdel Motor Vehicle Maintenance Facility, istrative Code guidelines, jobs, KS Engineers, minutes, monitor, New Jersey, New Jersey Privatization Task Force, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, news, politics, private sector, privatization, programs, public employees, recession, services, size, spending cuts, state government, transportation, U.S., United States, veto
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