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 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS! 

ITS BAAACK!!!!  TIME TO DISCUSS THE NJ MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAM!
and…Congratulations to NJGCA Member Benefits Partner Environmental Alliance!

It has been a while since I spoke to you about the inspection program in this state for the simple reason that there hasn’t been much to report.  You all know well my deep desire to totally privatize inspections and have 100% of the emissions inspections performed in your shops.  I want to see all the Central Inspection Facilities (CIFs) that are presently run by Parsons to be closed and have the state sell the properties.  I continue to oppose the elimination of safety inspections that went into effect just over a year ago, and I think it was a huge mistake for the Governor to eliminate them.  Unfortunately, I have little hope that they will be reinstated any time soon, at least not unless there arises conclusive, scientific data showing accidents are caused, and lives are lost because of a lack of safety inspections. 

The last time I spoke to you about this was in May when the Motor Vehicle Commission put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) to find a consultant to analyze what the best practices are that New Jersey should adopt for its inspection program.  The current contract governing the inspections is set to expire in May 2013, only a year and half away.  This week, I met with Chief Ray Martinez and staff from MVC to discuss the future of inspections.  MVC informed us that as a result of the recent RFP, Eastern Research Group (ERG) was chosen and contracted to study the state’s inspection program.  They will examine all areas of the inspection system in New Jersey and study practices in other states and then decide what the Best Practices are.  We were told that NJGCA was specifically referred to them and that we should expect to be contacted in the coming days in order to weigh in with our recommendations.

Every state has a different way of doing inspections.  Chief Martinez said that the least popular is a state owned program in which state employees perform the inspections.  He assured us that the government is absolutely not moving in the direction of state control.  He also emphasized that there are many different ways to privatize.  Once MVC receives the ERG report and its recommendations, MVC will start considering which model the state will use.

The ERG report is due on Chief Martinez’s desk in November.  MVC and Christie Administration officials will then make a decision on which model the state will use for its inspection program.  MVC said that they have an aggressive timeline and they hope to fully transition to a new program when the present contract with Parsons expires in May 2013.  Bottom line is that we will know by the end of November if my efforts to have ALL Motor Vehicle Inspections performed at your shops will be implemented.

I am cautiously optimistic that my proposals for a privatized program will be recommended by ERG and adopted by the state.  What makes me think that?  It’s not just my sunny outlook on life.  While it would be unprofessional for Chief Martinez to tip his hand and outright tell me that he agrees with me, I do know that when he was Motor Vehicle Commissioner in New York he favored such a private system and he has first hand knowledge of how it works because New York ONLY permits Motor Vehicle Inspections to be performed at private shops.  The New York system is exactly what I hope to have implemented in New Jersey.

Ultimately though, the decision lies with Governor Christie.  I believe the Governor, despite his decision to eliminate safety inspections as a way to lower the burden on motorists, would favor a privatized system because that is the way he thinks, and I know that he wants to reduce as much government as possible in order to reduce the burden on taxpayers. I’m sure he likes the prospect of cutting state spending by more than $30 million per year.  Let me be clear; Governor Christie has also not told me that he would move in this direction, but I have reason to believe that he likes the idea.

You may remember in April 2010, I spent a great deal of time making our case to the Governor’s Privatization Task Force.  When they issued their final report to the Governor, they adopted virtually every one of my suggestions.  You can read that section of the report by clicking HERE. 

For those reasons I remain optimistic, however I must tell you that I am finding in my conversations that legislators from around the state are lukewarm to the idea that motorists might be forced to pay for inspections.  I have crisscrossed the state in the past 6 months meeting with legislators on issues like Below Cost Selling and Cash/Credit Signage, and Internet Lottery. Whenever I try to throw in a discussion about Privatizing Motor Vehicle Inspections in order to take their temperature on the issue, I am greeted with less than enthusiasm.  As the issue develops in the next few months I may need to call on you to help convince these legislators that privatization is the way to go for our inspection program. 

ERG will be calling me, but I think that they should hear from actual PIFs too, so I may be calling some of you to set it up.  I caution you though, despite what I said, it is still possible that ERG will come back in November and recommend that that there be no change to the program.  That being said, no matter whatever ERG suggests, MVC and the Governor are not required to follow their recommendation, although they will have difficulty not accepting what the state paid them to study.

I will likely be convening a meeting of all PIFs and interested repair shops sometime in early December to further talk about the future of the inspection program.  Chief Martinez has agreed to speak at this event, so stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.  Once an RFP is put out for bid, there will be severe ethical constraints placed on Chief Martinez and administration officials until the process is complete.  Ethics laws have all been reformed mostly due to the serious implications and ultimate debacle that arose from the first Parsons contract in 1999.  I know too many of you still have a bad taste in your mouths from that experience…..and rightfully so!

I want to congratulate Environmental Alliance, one of our most trusted Member Benefit Partners.  They were recently the winner of the Marvin S. Gilman Superstars in Business Award from the Delaware Chamber of Commerce.  They received this award in recognition of their “OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS and model approaches to business and management”.  We’ve been recommending Environmental Alliance for years to members who were in need of environmental advice and remediation.  If you’re in need of environmental consulting, call our office and we’ll put you into contact with the good folks at Environmental Alliance.  Environmental Alliance is also one of our sponsors of the upcoming seminars that will be held on November 9 and 10.

Finally, keep an eye on your mailbox in the next few days as we will be sending out a pamphlet and registration info for these seminars.  It’s crucial to your business that you attend one of these seminars.  They will help keep you out of trouble and as a result….They will save you money!

Thanks for listening - See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

9/22/2011:
Jersey households incomes dips
N.J. households earn 4.8% less since '08
Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday illustrate that median household income in New Jersey has fallen by 4.8% while the poverty rate rose to 7.8% last year.  Officials state that both numbers are tied to the lagging economy.  The number of homes Households receiving food stamps also increased, from 4% in 2006 6.8% last year.  Click above to read more on this story.

9/22/2011:
Garden State boasts biggest commercial solar market in America
A new report says that New Jersey has displaced California as the state with the largest commercial solar market.  The state’s photovoltaic (PV) installations now accounts for 24% of all PV installations in the US.  Click above to read more on this.

9/21/2011:
NJ among the smoggiest states in the nation
A non profit environmental group has recently released a report stating that New Jersey is the fifth smoggiest state in America for 2010.  In compiling the report, the group used EPA air readings, then ranked and analyzed the number of days each state had with elevated smog levels throughout the nation.  However, the report also indicates that, aside from smog produced locally, New Jersey’s smog also comes from industrial states to the west.  Officials worry how this will impact the health of residents, especially in summer months.  The EPA calculates smog as ground-level ozone that is crated when pollutants and emissions are mixed with heat and sunlight.

9/18/2011:
Toll road dollars being tapped for road projects
With road repair projects in need of money, state officials are looking beyond gas tax revenues and motor vehicle fees to fund these programs.  The NJ Turnpike Authority will contribute an additional $325 million to the state in order to fund road work.  Critics contend that diverting these funds will mean less money will be spent to maintain the roadways such funds were intended for (i.e. Turnpike, Parkway) and that the state should raise the gas tax to fund critical repairs.  Proponents counter that the state’s transportation network is interconnected and reallocating these funds is justified.  Click above to read the full article.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES IN OUR “NEWS AROUND THE STATE” ARCHIVE 

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE

TMP Energy Solutions
Another Way to Save on Your Energy Bills

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh   signing up through our energy saving program. We know it’s difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an “accurate” analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available. 

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum KW demand is acquired. By pooling the member’s usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #’s, meter #’s  service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Phil Apruzzi at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs.  Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund. 

Contact Phil Apruzzi at 973-376-0066 or email Phil at phil@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.