Bills target N.Y.-N.J. port authority

TRENTON - Two measures that would end perks enjoyed by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey employees and help assure toll-payers that their money was spent responsibly received the Senate Transportation Committee's endorsement Monday.

The Port Authority, which runs area bridges, tunnels, and transit hubs and owns the World Trade Center site, has been tarnished by audits showing rising employee compensation, excessive overtime, and ballooning debt. The agency's finances came under scrutiny in August when the board approved steep toll increases at New Jersey-New York crossings that outraged many commuters.

A bill eliminating free tolls, sports tickets, and other perks was approved with little debate. The measure would impose restrictions in the wake of reports of patronage and perks for Port Authority executives. A similar bill cleared an Assembly transportation panel this month.

Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni, who attended the hearing, said the agency already had eliminated free E-ZPass, reduced the size of the workforce, and hired an auditor.

A bill to increase the agency's accountability to the public also was approved, over the objection of Baroni, a former state senator known for promoting good-government legislation. Baroni, a Republican appointed to the port by Gov. Christie, called the bill unnecessary and said agency executives, Christie, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were committed to cleaning up abuses at the authority.

"This bill is redundant, shortsighted, deficient, and dangerous," Baroni said, asking the panel to hold the proposal until it could be reworked.

The measure as written now "would put in jeopardy significant, multibillion-dollar projects that the Port Authority is undertaking."

His most strenuous objection was to a provision that would require board meeting agendas to be set five business days in advance. The provision would stifle last-minute deals that have brought thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the region, he said.

For example, he said, a deal with a shipping company to build a $500 million terminal at Port Newark that created 350 construction jobs could have been lost if the parties were required to wait up to six weeks to get on the agenda to seal the deal.

The bill passed 3-0 with one abstention.

"If there are changes that are necessary to remove any impediments to negotiation, I'm all for that. I view that as a technical change," said Sen. Bob Gordon (D., Bergen), the bill's sponsor.

Part of the measure requires that more effort be made to solicit public input before future toll increases are adopted. For the increases that were approved last year, public hearings were held on a single day, and many people complained that they were at inconvenient times and places.

"I think it was important to send a message to the port that you just can't schedule a public hearing at 8 in the morning or in places that natives of the area can't find," Gordon said.

Baroni said more than 1,500 people weighed in before the recent toll and fare increases.

Similar legislation is working its way through the New York Legislature. The states would have to enact substantially similar legislation for the laws to become effective at the agency.