Bergen: Sherrill Administration Ignoring Stay NJ Law to Rush Payments, Drain Reserves

Assemblyman Brian Bergen accused the Sherrill administration of disregarding fiscal responsibility by proceeding with Stay NJ property tax relief payments despite unmet statutory requirements. Bergen sent a letter to State Treasurer Aaron Binder cautioning that issuing payments would contradict the program’s legislative intent.

The Stay NJ Act mandates maintaining a 12% budget surplus before distributing benefits. The current state budget of $58.8 billion includes only a $6.7 billion surplus, more than $300 million short of the legal threshold.

“This isn’t a gray area,” Bergen said. “The law is black and white, and the administration is choosing to ignore it.”

He criticized the decision to spend multi-year reserves in a single year while Stay NJ costs are projected to double, and said the situation validates his original reservations about the program, which he has called “a bait-and-switch, flashy promise sold to seniors.”