(The Center Square) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is being urged to veto a proposal to hike tolls along the state’s roadways by lawmakers who said it would cut deep into commuters’ pockets.
In a letter to Murphy, a group of GOP lawmakers called on the Democrat to once again reject higher tolls on the state’s roadways as he did several months ago when he vetoed a similar proposal.
The lawmakers suggested that the state’s roadways and finances “have not changed since then to the degree that would force you to completely reverse your pre-election decision.”
“Doing nothing to stop the toll increase would be rightly viewed as an insider powerplay, demonstrating Trenton’s willingness to impose financial hardships on residents and business when politically convenient,” they wrote. “More obviously, toll increases would further erode the public’s confidence in Trenton to competently manage the state’s finances.”
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s board of commissioners unanimously approved a $2.6 billion 2024 budget last Tuesday, which included a 3% toll increase for the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. The increase, which goes into effect on March 1, will drive up tolls by an average of 15 cents on the turnpike and 5 cents on the parkway, according to officials.
Murphy will sign the Turnpike’s 2024 budget, including the toll hikes, a move that comes several months after vetoing a similar proposal.
Under state law, Murphy can veto the budget because he appoints most Turnpike board members, including the chairperson, and can unilaterally overturn board actions. In 2019, he vetoed the minutes of the Delaware River and Bay Authority, putting the brakes on a $1 toll hike for the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
In October, Murphy used a parliamentary move to reject the plan by vetoing the Turnpike Authority’s meeting minutes that included the toll hike proposals.
At the time, Democratic leaders, including Senate President Nick Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, had pressured Murphy to veto the toll hikes, which came less than a month before the November elections when most lawmakers were up for reelection. Neither have issued public statements about the most recent Turnpike toll hike.
The GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Carmen Amato and Assembly members Brian Rumpf and Greg Myhre, said Murphy can use the same parliamentary move to block the higher tolls, which they said are as “wrong now just as it was several months ago.”
“Too many residents in this state are at their financial breaking point and cannot afford to hand over yet more of their money to a government that seems more interested in raising revenue than working in the best interests of taxpayers,” they wrote.
