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
In Timber Glen Phase III, LLC v. Township of Hamilton, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court addressed the authority of municipalities to license residential rental properties. The appeals court ultimately concluded that the ordinance, which required the registration and licensing of apartment units, fell outside the authority
Jersey City Mayor Stephen Fulop recently announced several key changes to the municipality’s tax abatement policy. The changes are part of Jersey City’s new comprehensive housing policy and are intended to ensure that all areas of the city benefit from the area’s rapid growth and development. In 2013, Mayor Fulop
By a vote of 2-1, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently held in Munroe v. Central Bucks School District that a Pennsylvania teacher’s anti-student blog posts were not protected under the First Amendment’s free speech guarantee. According to the appeals court, the teacher’s speech did not rise to the
