I. State Issues
a. COVID-19 Weekly Update
The Governor this week announced that effective April 19 all New Jersey residents over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and noted that with the more than 750 vaccination sites in New Jersey 98.7% of residents live within five miles of where they can receive a vaccine.
The Governor also announced an administrative order adjusting gathering limits for non-professionals and non-collegiate indoor sports activities as well as permitting retail businesses to utilize self-service food, such as buffets and salad bars.
New travel and quarantine advisories have been issued and it was noted that iPhone users will now be able to benefit from the exposure notification technology, even if they choose not to download the COVID NJ Alert app by simply turning on the setting in their iPhone. Apple will be sending out push notifications to users over the next few days.
COVID Data for April 9, 2021:
- 3,523 new positive cases for a total of 831,260 confirmed cases
- 43 new confirmed deaths for a total of 22,253 confirmed deaths
- The rate of transmission is at 1.01
- 1,070 cases linked to 240 school outbreaks since August 2020
- 5,141,870 vaccine doses have been administered, including 3,275,611 first doses and 2,030,971 second doses. 45% have been Moderna, 51% Pfizer, and 3% J&J.
Vaccine Information
As of April 19 all New Jersey residents over the age 16 will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
As a reminder, the Governor announced a new COVID-19 vaccine appointment finder. The beta version is available to the public.
The State hotline 855-568-0545 continues to assist residents, with live agents from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., in getting information on how to register, as well as how to schedule vaccine appointments as people become eligible.
Executive Orders
Governor did not issue any COVID-19 related Executive Orders this week.
Travel and Quarantine Guidelines
New travel and quarantine guidelines were announced this week. Unvaccinated travelers and residents returning from any US State or territory, excluding New York, Connecticut and Delaware, should self-quarantine at their home, hotel, or other temporary lodging following CDC recommendations. Those fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 in past three months do not need to quarantine or get tested if it has been 2 weeks since your final dose of Pfizer or Moderna or 1st dose of J&J vaccine, or if you clinically recovered from COVID-19 in the past three months. In addition the CDC has issued separate guidance for domestic travel and international travel.
Unemployment Information
Department of Labor announced that they have received 19,874 applications for the week ending April 3, which is an increase from the previous week.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Assistant Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
b. COVID-19 Survey of Municipal Recreational Programs
As municipalities continue to navigate COVID-19, we are conducting a survey on municipal summer recreational programs and school operations during the pandemic. Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Assistant Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
c. Cannabis Regulatory Commission Meeting
The Cannabis Regulatory Commission will be holding their first public meeting on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting includes organizational items and a report from the Executive Director. A live streaming link will be posted on the agenda page prior to the meeting.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Assistant Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
d. Appellate Panel Sides with Municipality in Dispute Over Attorney’s Fees in Record Disclosure Case
This week the New Jersey Appellate Division issued a published opinion in Gannett Satellite Information Network LLC, d/b/a Asbury Park Press v. Township of Neptune, a case which the League joined as amicus. This case involved a request made under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and the common law for the disclosure police internal affairs files. The Appellate Panel affirmed the trial court’s ruling regarding disclosure under both OPRA and the common law, but reversed the award for attorney’s fees, finding that while attorney’s fees may be awarded under the common law, such an award was not appropriate in the matter at hand. For more on the case please see the League’s recent blog post.
The League would like to thank Carl Woodward, Esq. of Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Olstein, Brody & Agnello, PC, who represented the League along with the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys, for their tremendous work on this matter.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
e. Budget Hearings
Earlier this week, the Senate Budget Committee took testimony on the proposed FY 2022 budget from both the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) and the Elizabeth Maher Muoio, the State Treasury. During their testimony OLS are projecting budget revenue projections for FY21 and FY22 will be $553.2 million more than what Administration initially proposed in February. OLS noted that the difference is likely more to do with when the forecasts are made.
During the hearing, several senators raised concern about the borrowing that the Murphy Administration has made due to COVID. The senators are concerned that this could possibly lead to large tax hikes in the near future for New Jersey residents. There was also discussion regarding the Cares Act funds, and if the federal government will allow for allocations of those funds to reduce property taxes. Budget committee hearings are continuing next week with the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Law and Public Safety.
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.
f. DLGS Announces FY2021 Local Recreation Improvement Grant
The Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) has announced the Local Recreation Improvement Grant (LRIG). The LRIG is a competitive grant that supports improvement and repair of public recreations facilities inducing local parks, municipal recreations centers, and local stadiums.
LRIG funds will be allocated to each grant recipient to help the recipient cover costs associated with the update of community centers, playgrounds, pools, fields, walking or bicycle trails, rail trails, and multi-sport courts.
The current appropriation is $2.5 million for the FY2021 budget for the grant. There is a recommended maximum award of $500,000 for a single grant but DLGS may award more than the cap may be authorized if warranted and depending upon program demand. All applications must be into the DLGS using the NJDCA SAGE Portal, by May 24, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. to be considered for eligibility.
Applicants may contact Laurie Ann Doyle at 609-292-4132 to discuss program and project needs up to submission of the application. Email questions to LRIG@dca.nj.gov.
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.
g. Deadline for Action on Municipal Cannabis Regulation
The League would just like to remind our members that the deadline for action on municipal cannabis regulation is fast approaching. As you may recall, failure of a municipality to enact an ordinance prohibiting the operation of one or more classes of cannabis establishments, or cannabis distributors, or cannabis delivery services, before August 21, 2021, results in the cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and delivery services becoming permitted uses within all industrial zones of the municipality; and the retail sale a conditional use in all commercial or retail zones.
For more information please be sure to visit the cannabis information page on the League’s website where we continue to provide additional resources and information for our members including a recently added FQA, which provides answers to some of the more frequently asked questions.
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