Rutgers University recently prevailed in a lawsuit alleging violations of the Open Public Records Act and the common law right of access. The Appellate Division’s decision in Academy Express LLC v. Rutgers, The State Univ. highlights the confusion that can arise when OPRA challenges become entangled with public contract disputes.
The Division of Local Government Services has issued Local Finance Notice 2015-20, which addresses the new minimum bid thresholds that were changed on July 1, 2015. New Jersey municipalities are advised to review their procurement policies and implementing ordinances to determine if any changes are necessary. Unless certain exceptions apply,
The New Jersey Council on Local Mandates has put the state’s police camera law on hold, at least temporarily. The statute requires that every new or used municipal police vehicle purchased, leased, or otherwise acquired on or after the bill’s effective date that is primarily used for traffic stops must
The Tax Court of New Jersey recently issued three decisions that should be of interest to New Jersey municipalities. All of the cases involved a request for income and expense information from the municipal tax assessor pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:4-34, commonly known as Chapter 91. Chapter 91 authorizes New Jersey
The Appellate Division recently ruled against a plaintiff attempting to anonymously pursue a complaint under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) in Superior Court. According to the court’s decision in A.A. v. Gramiccioni, there is no statutory authorization, rule authorization or compelling reason authorizing the plaintiff to prosecute
New Jersey lawmakers have approved legislation that would require municipalities to release a bid list prior to the bid date. The bill currently awaits Gov. Chris Christie’s signature. Assembly Bill No. 947 would specifically require local contracting units to release, upon request, the names of all parties who have received
Many New Jersey municipalities, such as Jersey City, use tax abatements to incentivize local development projects. Starting later this year, local governments will be required to disclose the agreements on their financial statements. Under newly issued guidelines by the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB), state and local governments will be
Last month, the Supreme Court of New Jersey held in Redd v. Bowman that challengers to the City of Camden’s decision to regionalize its police force proposed a valid ordinance to maintain the existing police structure. However, the state’s highest court ultimately concluded that the related referendum petition could not
