March 24, 2020

1. Bill Permits DLGS Director to Extend Deadlines Before Assembly
2. White House COVID-19 Briefing Scheduled

3. First Responders' COVID-19 Training On-Line
4. DLGS Offers Additional Guidance on Hosting Remote Public Meetings

1. Bill Permits DLGS Director to Extend Deadlines Before Assembly

Tomorrow, the Assembly will be considering A-3902, which permits extension of certain deadlines applicable to local government units under emergency circumstances. Specifically, A-3902 would authorize the Director of the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) at their discretion to extend, in times of a public emergency, deadlines under the Local Budget Law, the Local Fiscal Affairs Law, the Local Authorities Fiscal Control Law, the Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) as well as the deadline for the issuances of any tax bill and municipal tax sale.
 
The bill also gives the Director the power to permit municipalities to institute extended grace periods for property tax payments within a date specified by the Director. In addition, the Director is authorized to extend the date in which payment of taxes are due to the county, school district, or special district. If the Director determines that an extension is necessary to minimize and mitigate additional hardships, loss or suffering, the Director, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Taxation, will have the authority to extend any other deadline established in Title 54 chapters 1, 3, 4 or 5, which generally address property taxation and assessing issues.
 
The legislation does not grant an automatic extension but defers to the DLGS Director as to what is appropriate, given the nature of the public emergency.    
 
Please contact your Assembly representative and urge them to support this legislation as a common-sense, necessary response to the current state of emergency.

Contact: Lori Buckelew, Senior Legislative Analyst, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481 x112.

2. White House COVID-19 Briefing Scheduled

On Wednesday, March 25, at 1:00 PM ET, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Senior Administration Officials will conduct a briefing call on COVID-19 (coronavirus). The purpose of this call is to provide State and local elected officials with up-to-date information on COVID-19 and pertinent Administration and Task Force actions. We encourage you to share this invitation with your county and/or municipal colleagues as well as public health officials

Briefing Call Registration
Date: Wednesday, March 25
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Call-In Registration: CLICK HERE

Note: Call-in lines are limited.  Please register only if you are able to join the call. State and local leaders (especially staff) working in the same office are encouraged to register once as a group and use one call-in line to maximize the number of people who can join. Upon successful registration, you will receive dial-in details to the email address you use to register. Note that multiple people cannot dial-in using the same registration information.

3. First Responders’ COVID-19 Training On-Line

Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new website with important educational resources for Coronavirus workers dealing with the spread of COVID-19. The initiative got underway after Congress passed a supplemental appropriation of $10 million on March 6 “for worker-based training to prevent and reduce exposure of hospital employees, emergency first responders, and other workers who are at risk of exposure to Coronavirus through their work duties.”

4. DLGS Offers Additional Guidance on Hosting Remote Public Meetings

In light of the need to maintain social distancing to avoid the spread of COVID-19, along with Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 107, local governments have been encouraged to host remote public meetings.   However, many municipalities are unfamiliar with logistics of how to host a remote meeting while still complying with the Open Public Meetings Act and other legal requirements.

Fortunately, the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services (DLGS), has issued Local Operational Guidance which provides guidance for remote public meetings.  The guidance provides a listing of possible solutions available for local governments to host remote meetings in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act and offers other helpful practical suggestions on how to run an effective remote meeting.  The guidance offers a variety of solutions and identifies possible pitfalls which your municipality should consider before adopting.

Please review this guidance, in addition to the guidance previously offered by DLGS, with your municipal clerk and municipal attorney to ensure that your remote meetings address all requirements.

Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., League Staff Attorney, FMarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481 x137.

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