By Jarrett Renshaw/Statehouse Bureau
TRENTON — The sponsors of the controversial proposal to reshuffle the state’s colleges and medical schools will tell the state’s Senate Budget Committee today it won’t cost taxpayers a dime in the short-term because they are pushing back the start date of the plan by a year, The Star-Ledger has learned.
Once it’s set in motion, the plan will cost tens of millions of dollars, but will also result in significant savings in overhead costs, according to a summary of the costs prepared by supporters and obtained by The Star-Ledger. The summary did not include exact costs, but lawmakers are expected to receive more specific figures from the Office of Legislative Services today.
With two weeks left to pass a budget, the price tag of the sweeping plan has weighed heavily on lawmakers and threatened to upend not only the budget but the proposal itself.
However, the sponsors will tell the Senate committee today that it will postpone the effective date of the reorganization plan until July 1, 2013. By postponing the start date, supporters are trying to prevent a weak economic recovery and resulting poor revenue figures from halting the plan.
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