Gov. Chris Christie says that he still has a few priorities left before he leaves office in January.
The governor has 140 days left in office. He laid out some of the items he still wants to address during a press event in Wall Township Wednesday.
One of the things the governor wants to do is to work with lawmakers to end the practice of paying out unused sick leave to government workers.
“So if they wanted to deal with the sick pay issue in lame duck, I’m happy to do it,” the governor said. “It’s a disgrace that we have billions of dollars being paid to people for not having been sick.”
Christie also said that legislators must pass an extension on the arbitration interest cap, which expires Dec. 31. The cap limits how much money arbitrators can award to police and fire department unions when they reach a negotiation impasse with the municipalities.
The governor said that if it is not extended, property taxes will see a sharp rise.
“I don’t know that I’m optimistic about that stuff but I’m ready to do it,” Christie said. “Those are things that need to be done for the taxpayers.”
The governor said that while he plans to work with legislators, he doesn’t expect to make any new proposals. He said that his hands are tied with the election to choose his replacement coming up.
“It’s not my job to do their job. It’s my job to finish mine,” he said.
The Legislature will get back in session in September.