USA / NEW JERSEY - Deal ends New Jersey shutdown

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Deal ends New Jersey shutdown

State budget agreement

reached, government to reopen

Thursday,

July 6, 2006; Posted: 6:11 p.m. EDT (22:11 GMT)

 

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- New

Jersey's governor and lawmakers reached a deal Thursday

on a new state budget, six days into a state

government shutdown that shuttered casinos and threw more than 80,000 people

out of work.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine said the shutdown will end in the next

24 to 36 hours. Budget bills first must pass both the Senate and Assembly, he

said.

Corzine cautioned that the budget accord was not cause for

celebration, because too many residents' lives were disrupted.

" We have much more to do in the coming months and years

to fix our state's public finances, " he said.

The deal will increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to

7 percent and use half the $1.1 billion that it will raise to help lower

property taxes, which are among the highest in the nation.

It allows the possibility that, in future years, the entire

increase will go to property tax relief.

" I honestly think that in the end, with the agreement

that we have reached, our state and more importantly our citizens are all

emerging as winners, " said Senate President Richard J. Codey.

Democrats who control the state Assembly had opposed the

sales tax increase, which would cost the average New Jersey family an estimated $275

per year.

" This is a very, very fair resolution: good for the

state, good for the taxpayers, " said Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr.,

who had been the main opponent of the sales tax hike.

Corzine shut down non-essential government operations on

Saturday after the Legislature failed to pass a budget by the July 1 deadline.

More than 45,000 state workers were furloughed, including

those who staff state parks and beaches and the gambling inspectors who keep an eye on

the casinos.

Without the gambling inspectors, Atlantic City's dozen casinos had to shut their doors Wednesday, putting 36,000

casino employees out of work.

The casinos stood to lose more than $16 million a day while

shut down, and the state would lose an estimated $1.3 million a day in the

taxes they normally generate.

" Everybody's relieved this is going to be behind us, " said Michael

Facenda, a spokesman for the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which opened a

$200 million expansion last week and then had to close part of it Wednesday.

" We're anxious to get back to work and show off the product. "

Casino executives were meeting behind closed doors to plan

for reopening the halls, but it was unclear when that would occur.

Dealers and other laid-off workers have not been called in

yet, pending official word from the state Casino Control Commission on when

casinos can reopen, said Alyce Parker, a spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment, which

operates four casinos here.

" We're just happy it's resolved, and let's move on, " Parker said.

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