April 10, 2015

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

Here is what you will find in this edition:

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

SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE INTERESTING DIALOGUE
DEBATE OVER THE FEDERAL GAS TAX
PRESERVING JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST
OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND BEEFSTEAK DINNER IN RANDOLPH

Last week, I attended the Senate Budget Committee hearing where Governor Christie's proposed fiscal year 2016 budget for NJ Transit, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) was reviewed and explored by the Senators. Members of the Administration, including NJ Transit Executive Director Ronnie Hakim, Chief Administrator of MVC Ray Martinez, and Department of Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox were present to answers questions from the Senators on all aspects of the Governor's transportation and infrastructure budget for the coming year. For many months, I have been sharing my thoughts, suspicions and gut feelings with you on issues such as the gas tax, TTF and the new inspection program. Now, it's time to hear directly from the people in charge. I was able to isolate a couple of clips from the hearing which address these issues of particular importance to you.
 
First, you will hear Chairman Sarlo ask Chief Administrator Martinez about the expiration of the current inspection contract with Parsons, and the Request for Proposals for a new company to administer the inspection program.  The Chief explains pretty much what I have been saying all along, that they are in the process of finalizing an RFP that they hope to get out to the public in the "very near future." Listen to the Chief's brief response HERE.
 
Next, Senator Greenstein asked Commissioner Fox's opinion on raising the gas tax. She pointed to Virignia's recent conversion from a flat-tax to a sales tax, but also noted that as cars on the road become more fuel efficient, any type of gas tax will leave the State with declining revenues, and maybe we should consider a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) like they have in Oregon. Listen to Senator Greenstein's conversation with Commissioner Fox HERE.
 
As we have these conversations in NJ, lawmakers at the federal level are grappling with the same issues. The Federal Transportation Trust Fund also has a significant shortfall, and there are a number of proposals to address it. While some suggest increasing the federal gasoline tax to raise revenue, others propose significantly cutting the federal gas tax, and levying a high(er) tax burden on the states. The issue of transportation funding, from every angle, is centered around the reality of ever-diminishing revenues and how to increase revenues to stay on track with our obligations to build and maintain roadways and infrastructure, including mass transit.
 
Switching gears now, last week I was invited to attend a meeting of the NJ Defense Enhancement Coalition, which is led by former Congressman Jim Saxton. The Coalition formed in response to concerns and indications that the Federal Government is considering the closure of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. As the leader of a small business association, I was joined by many other like-minded organizations who are strongly opposed to the potential that this idea could be carried out. While I have no intention of dragging NJGCA into military affairs, the closure of this base would impact every one of you in the entire region of the state south of Middlesex County.
 
According to the materials provided at the meeting, the Joint Base produces almost $7 billion in gross output each year, and is responsible for over 100,000 jobs in the region. Not only will all of the gas stations, repair shops and convenience stores be affected by losing that many customers, but because the economy in the entire region relies on all of these people being employed, every other aspect of the economy will be affected, too. So if your customers (who rely on the base and the employees who are there) are weakened financially, that puts more pressure on what they can -- or can't -- purchase from you. It's an entire vicious cycle, not just for NJGCA members, but for all businesses. This could have a bigger negative impact than the closing of Fort Monmouth, and this is an issue that we will closely monitor as things continue to develop.
 
Finally, I'd like to inform you all about Senator Bucco's annual beefsteak dinner fundraiser. Last year we extended the invitation to our members and we had a number of people join us for a very enjoyable evening. This year's event will be on April 24, 2015 in Randolph. Governor Christie is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the event. Senator Bucco has been a friend to NJGCA for many years, and he is the Republican Budget Officer. There are a number of issues that will have to go through the Budget Committee and Senator Bucco is always as grateful for our support as we are for his. Tickets to the event are $100 per person. It is important that you contact us ASAP to let us know if you would like to attend. Call Eric at 973-376-0066 or email eric@njgca.org for more information. The Senator's election committee must have our answer by the end of next week.

That's all for now!  Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 973-376-0066 or DEBBIE@NJGCA.ORG TO LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A SPECIFIC CLASS.  THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GAUGE YOUR NEEDS AND KEEP TRACK OF THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE!!

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS 

NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNERS LOOKING TO HIRE!

SERVICE STATION VENDING EQUIPMENT:

SERVICE TECH

For more information, and to submit a resume and cover letter, please email billyjr@airusa1.com.


GILL ENERGY:

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information about these positions, and to submit a resume for consideration, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

04/08/2015:
Alabama May Triple Cigarette Tax: Lawmakers vow increases will be "last resort"
Alabama state lawmakers are currently reviewing a rough draft of the state's general fund budget -- a picture House general fund budget chairman Steve Clouse (R) described as "bleak. As such, the state legislature will consider not one, but two proposed increases to the current 42.5 cents-per-pack cigarette excise tax. The most drastic increase, proposed by Governor Robert Bentley, would raise the cigarette tax by 82 cents. The resulting $1.25-per-pack tax would nearly triple the state's current rate and allegedly generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the state. Clouse argued the governor's proposed tax rate is "just a little too high," in part because of lower excise taxes in states bordering Alabama: the state's current rate is 20 cents lower than Tennessee, 26 cents lower than Mississippi and 92 cents lower than Florida and five cents higher than Georgia.

04/06/2015:
Prepare for roller coaster gas prices for the next two weeks, experts say
Drivers will encounter two uneven things in their travels this month, pothole-scarred roads and gas prices. How uneven are they? Try $2 a gallon on Tuesday and $2.09 on Thursday at the same gas station this past week. Drivers should put on their seat belts and prepare for a bumpy ride at the pumps at least for the first half of April, according to analysts at OPIS (Oil Price Information Service). That more expensive gas is the summer blend formula, which is starting to be phased in this month. Summer blend fuels are formulated so they don't evaporate faster in the warm weather and cause rough running engines.  The price difference for summer blend and a smooth idling motor is about 15 cents a gallon. Prices will probably stabilize around April 15.

04/02/2015:
Proposed Christie budget won't cover fixing bridges, NJ transportation chief says
Even after spending $1.1 billion next year on NJ’s transportation department, Governor Christie’s proposed budget does not provide enough money for the state to fix its backlog of 290 structurally deficient bridges, transportation commissioner Fox said at a Senate hearing Thursday. The budget calls for the state Department of Transportation to receive $1.1 billion in FY 2016. But fixing the state’s ailing bridges may cost twice that amount Commissioner Jamie Fox told the Senate budget committee. That estimate does not include any major road maintenance or expansion projects, Fox said. Fox also expressed concern that while the budget proposed by Christie maintains roughly the same amount of funding and construction work as last year, it does so with a number of one-time revenues that cannot be repeated next year. That includes borrowing to the hilt against revenue from motor fuel taxes, vehicle fees and turnpike tolls, Fox said, and using every dollar left in the TTF. “This short-term fix is anything but ideal,” Fox said. “As of July 1 of next year we will have hit a wall. There would have to be drastic cuts” unless new revenue is found.

04/01/2015:
Campaign for a $15 minimum wage coming to NJ
NJ unions and anti-poverty activists are gearing up to pressure fast food restaurants and other employers to increase wages as part of the national "Fight for $15" campaign on a national day of action planned for April 15. The coalition, which includes the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and several locals of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is planning rallies in Newark, Trenton and New Brunswick to raise awareness of what activists see as the need to raise wages to a level that can support families. Organizers of the "Fight for $15" campaign say that more than 200 protests are expected to take place around the U.S., including some strikes by fast-food workers. The campaign began more than two years ago as an effort to persuade McDonald's to pay a minimum wage of $15, but has since broadened beyond the fast food industry. McDonald's announced raises for some of its employees Wednesday. The April 15th events will be the first time that protestors in NJ have mobilized around the campaign.

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD:

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 Greg Cannon 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 GREG CANNON at 973-376-0066 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.