July 9, 2025

State Issues

SHBP Rate Renewal Recommendations

The State Health Benefits Commission (SHBC) met for a presentation by AON outlining the recommended rate increases for the State Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) for plan year 2026.

Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.

Public Contracts Law Threshold Increases

The Division of Local Government Services has issued Local Finance Notice 2025-08 advising of the adjustments to the Public Bidding thresholds and Office of State Comptroller Reporting thresholds. The new thresholds took effect on July 1, 2025.

Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.

NJ Municipalities Blog: Local Heroes Make NJ Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Inductees

This week’s NJ Municipalities summer story blog shares the list of the New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Inductees, including the towns where they’ve lived and worked.

Want to share your local story this summer? Please send in your 300- to 1,000-word items and photos today.

Contact: Amy Spiezio, Editor, aspiezio@njlm.org, ext. 123. 

Federal Issues

One Big Beautiful Bill Passes House, Signed by President

On Thursday, the House concurred with changes from the Senate and passed the One Big Beautiful Bill by a vote of 218–214. The bill was signed into law by President Trump on July 4.

Contact: Paul Penna, Director of Government Affairs, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110

Rural Community Development Initiative Grants for FY 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development is now accepting applications for its Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) grants for FY 2025.

Contact: Ciara Bradley, Research Associate, cbradley@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x128.

Conference Connections

Exhibit Hall Expansion

The League has had a tremendous response in terms of the Annual Conference’s exhibit space sales and has expanded the floor twice since we opened registration this year. So far, we have almost 700 exhibitors and 1,300 booths–it's already our largest Exhibit Hall ever with a diverse mix of companies, products, services, and organizations. The interactive floor plan is posted, so start making a list of companies to visit while you're at the Conference! We'll have live tapings, lounge areas, hydration stations, charging areas, concessions, and more–make sure to add time to your schedule for the exhibit hall!

Bring your questions and come open to learn, explore, and generate new ideas!

Book Your Hotel Rooms Today

This year’s Annual Conference is generating plenty of buzz and delegates are reserving their rooms, and filling League room blocks, quickly. Reserve your hotel space through NJLM’s official housing partner, AC Central, ASAP to ensure you get the hotel you are hoping for.

Benefits to and services for those booking through AC Central include:

All participating hotels ensure attendees are adequately accommodated and all standards are met.
Shuttle bus transportation is exclusive to Conference Hotels and shuttle schedules are based on room block sales.
The League may use the hotel booking lists to distribute important Conference information, relay housing changes, and other critical functions.
You will receive a direct email acknowledgment of your reservation.
AC Central Reservations is a reputable company and will ensure that your rooms are booked and credit card information is secure.

Also of Interest

League and Rutgers Partner on Municipal Survey

Rutgers University’s School of Public Affairs and Administration (Rutgers-SPAA) is proud to partner with the New Jersey League of Municipalities (NJLM) on an important initiative to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing our municipalities and needs your voice. As New Jersey’s communities are evolving, and local governments are navigating complex economic, demographic, and structural changes, Rutgers-SPAA is conducting a survey to document management and policy challenges facing municipal governments in New Jersey; to identify best practices and offer practical recommendations to municipal leaders; and to share analytical results on the wellbeing of municipal governments with important stakeholders. To ensure state and local leaders have the insights needed to support effective governance, Rutgers-SPAA is conducting a statewide survey of municipalities.

Your Participation Matters:

Your responses will inform policies and resources to strengthen NJ’s municipalities.
The survey takes just 25 minutes (or less), but its impact will last far longer.
Your voice ensures your community’s needs are represented.

Confidentiality: This project is funded and administered by Rutgers-SPAA. Your responses will be kept strictly confidential; only the research team from Rutgers-SPAA will have access to individual results. Any published findings will report aggregate data only; no identifying information about your municipality will ever be shared. We strongly encourage you to participate in this collaborative effort. By working together, we can shape solutions that address the real-world challenges facing local governments across our state. Thank you for your time and leadership!

Please respond to the survey, which will take approximately 25 minutes.

If you have questions about this research, please contact Kaifeng Yang, Rutgers-School of Public Affairs, at kaifeng.yang@rutgers.edu.

NJ DEP Recycling Awards Nominations Open

NJ Department of Environmental Protection is accepting nominations for its annual award for leaders in recycling and sustainability.

Registration Open for Governor’s Conference on Housing

Registration is now open for the Governor’s Conference on Housing & Economic Development at Harrah’s in Atlantic City on September 16 and 17.

Contact: Paul Penna, Director of Government Affairs, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

NJ Municipalities Magazine

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