NJ League Executive Board Member and Wharton Mayor William J. Chegwidden was elected as 2nd Vice President of the League at the June 15 League Executive Board meeting.
I. State Issues
a. Take Action to Advance Energy Tax Receipts Restoration
As we approach the vote of the FY 2023 budget, the Assembly has not taken action on A-3804/S-330, which will restore the $331 million distributed to municipalities from the Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund over two years that has been diverted for a decade.
Your immediate action is needed to get this critical legislation to advance. Please contact your Assembly representatives urging them to support the passage of the restoration before the passage of the FY 2023. Further, ask your Legislators to sign on as a co-sponsor of these bills.
Please contact Governor Murphy to ask for support for these bills as part of the “Affordability Agenda.”
Join your fellow Mayors from across the State and
sign onto our open letter to the
For more information,
please see the ETR Resource Center on the League’s website.
Contacts: Mike Cerra, Executive Director, mcerra@njlm.org or Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
b. Warehouse Siting Guidance Issued By State Planning Commission
The State Planning Commission has released Warehouse Siting Guidance to facilitate greater cooperation and coordination among local governments, counties, and their regions. The guidance aims to “facilitate a proactive, rather than a reactive, approach; provide municipal factors to consider when developing or updating a Master Plan and reviewing applications and requirements; and encourage a regional approach to planning, siting, and facilitating the logistics facilities.”
Comments on the guidance are accepted until July 29 and should be sent to warehouses@sos.nj.gov. We are currently reviewing the guidance document and will provide a detailed analysis shortly.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
c. Division Issues Guidance on P.L. 2021, c. 301
The Division of Local Government Services has provided an update on the new law, P.L. 2021, c. 301, which requires a contractor submitting the lowest bid for a contract for a project that is subject to the Prevailing Wage Act that is 10% or more lower than the next lowest bid to certify that prevailing wage rates will be paid. Please see our November 12, 2021 blog post for additional information on the new law.
The Division has advised purchasing officials that although the Department of Labor’s rules establishing standard language are not in effect yet, the requirements of P.L. 2021, c. 301 are effective, and contracting units should begin inserting prevailing wage language into their contracts for public work.
The form of certification and the language in the rule proposal may be helpful in complying with the new law. The rule proposal was published June 6 and comments are due August 5, 2022.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
d. New Features in Artemis Announced
Earlier this week, the Division of Revenue Enterprises Services (DORES) announced new features to Artemis. The feature will permit users to replicate and edit prior requests and feature public search options. The public search option will be available for both users and non-users and will allow for the search of published records retention schedules and authorized disposition requests. DORES will notify users of the release date and availability of training videos on YouTube.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.