DAVID PORTERNEW JERSEY -- A group of New Jersey congressmen called Thursday for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to suspend a second round of toll hikes scheduled for later this year until the agency can demonstrate that its finances are in order. The letter sent to Authority chairman David Samson came on the day of the agency's annual meeting, in which it received passing marks for efficiency and ethics from two internal reviews.
The developments highlighted the continuing tension between the bi-state authority and New Jersey's Democratic politicians. Those tensions surfaced publicly last week when Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Port Authority deputy executive director William Baroni engaged in a heated exchange during a Senate subcommittee hearing on toll hikes.
Lautenberg signed Thursday's letter along with Reps. William Pascrell, Albio Sires and Steve Rothman. The letter was released after the end of the Port Authority's annual meeting, and Samson declined to comment late Thursday afternoon.Tolls were raised by 50 percent for cash customers last fall in the first of five scheduled annual hikes. The increases were initially said to have been instituted to help pay for the redevelopment of the former World Trade Center site, but in subsequent court filings the agency said the additional money would be used for bridges, bus terminals and other transportation buildings.
Gov. Chris Christie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who appoint commissioners to the Port Authority board, asked for an outside audit as part of the agreement to raise tolls, and the first phase of the audit released in January called the Port Authority "a challenged and dysfunctional organization" and cited a lack of leadership and cost controls, the letter pointed out.
"However, future toll hikes were not dependent on the Port Authority addressing any of the deficiencies identified in the audit," the letter continued.
In summaries presented at Thursday's meeting, the Port Authority's audit committee concluded that "there is a reasonable basis for the Board to have a high level of confidence in the professional and ethical conduct of Port Authority personnel"; and a governance and ethics committee reported that it is "confident that the Board and its Committees are operating in an efficient and independent manner and that the Executive Director is effectively managing the operations of the Port Authority."
Board Vice Chairman Scott Rechler noted that the internal audit focused specifically on operational controls and systems, while the independent audit released in January took a more all-encompassing approach in looking at the entire agency.
In other matters, the board directed the Port Authority to create, as soon as possible, a stand-alone security department that will centralize all safety and security functions across the agency's different departments. Baroni and executive director Patrick Foye will conduct a nationwide search to select a chief security officer to head the new department.
Foye on Thursday announced an agreement with The Durst Organization to build a state-of-the-art broadcasting facility atop One World Trade Center.
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