League Foundation Event Postponed
The League Foundation program scheduled for October 24 at Stockton has been postponed and will be rescheduled.
Contacts:
State Issues
2023 Pension Cost Increasing
The Division of Pensions and Benefits has released the 2023 Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) and Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) rates. For 2023 the PERS rate increased from15.98% to 17.11%. Over the same period of time the PFRS rate increased from 33.25% to 36.51%. We suggest you review the 2023 PERS employer billing and 2023 PFRS employer billing with your administrator and chief financial officer. If you would like you can also do a comparison of 2022 and 2023 PERS and comparison of 2022 and 2023 PFRS billing.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
Assembly Committee Advances Bill Expanding Private Party Code Inspections
On Thursday, the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee favorably reported out of Committee, ACS A-573. This bill seeks to provide flexibility to municipalities to assist with timely performing inspections under the construction code. To achieve this goal the bill would provide greater authority for municipal code enforcement agencies to enter shared service agreements and engage with private inspectors in order to perform construction code inspections.
Prior to committee amendments, A-573 was identical to a bill from the last legislative session that passed in the legislature but was then conditionally vetoed by Governor Murphy. Last session’s bill sought to create a mechanism for an expedited construction inspection program that allowed project owners to directly hire private inspectors to perform construction inspections. The League opposed this measure last legislative session, and A-573 as introduced, but is currently reviewing our position considering the drastic changes made by the Committee.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
State Health Benefits Program Update
As the Open Enrollment period’s virtual benefits fair continues local officials continue to wait for reprieve from the state’s recently imposed 22% increase on local employer State Health Benefits Plan. Please continue to reach out to the Administration and your legislative representatives for support of such relief.
Contacts:
- Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
- Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.
DEP Inland Stormwater Rules Moving Forward
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) hosted two virtual public engagement sessions this week for the proposed Inland Flood Protection Rule. While rule language has not yet been released, the public engagement sessions offered a small glimpse into some of the more general aspects of the NJDEP’s proposal. Currently the only publicly available information is what on the NJDEP website.
The League will continue to monitor this issue and will review the rules for comment once they become available.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
Best Practice Inventory Due November 10
The Division of Local Government Services has released the 2022 Best Practice Inventory along with Local Finance Notices 2022-17 detailing the process and requirements. As a reminder the 56-question inventory is due November 10, however, the appeals deadline is November 3. Given that final state aid payment is scheduled for December 1, the Division is encouraging municipalities to submit their inventory as soon as possible.
In addition, please remember to share your submitted State Health Benefits Program Practices Survey form with Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, at ppenna@njlm.org as they will assist in our discussions on the increases to the State Health Benefits, please share.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
NJDEP & League Host Lunch & Learn on Master Plans and Climate Change
On Tuesday, October 18, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the League jointly hosted a Lunch and Learn webinar, “Municipal Climate Resilience Planning: The Importance of the Recently Mandated Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessments,” to help municipalities plan for climate resilience.
NJDEP’s Resilient NJ program enables municipalities to build resilient and healthy communities with a goal of providing coordinated efforts by State and local governments allowing investment in the proper strategies needed to create stronger communities. To view the full webinar, please visit the League’s YouTube channel.
For a complete listing of the League’s Lunch & Learn sessions and related materials, please visit the NJLM website.
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.
Civil Service Commission’s Intergovernmental Transfer Rules
The New Jersey Civil Service Commission (CSC) recently highlighted a portion of its transfer rules for employees who have experienced layoffs. There are specific allowances for an intergovernmental transfer of a permanent employee between Civil Service governmental jurisdictions or the appointment of an employee by a Civil Service governmental jurisdiction, within one year of the effective date of a layoff for reasons of economy or efficiency in which the employee is separated from service from another Civil Service governmental jurisdiction.
For more information, please read the League’s recent blog post.
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.
Civil Service Commission Office of Diversity Programs Offered
The Civil Service Commission’s Office of Diversity Programs (ODP) is developing and implementing strategies to support and facilitate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the State’s Civil Service workforce.
ODP is slated to continue its series of Virtual Information Sessions tailored towards job seekers around the State as well as in-person job fairs sponsored by various organizations committed to DEI in the workforce, including the following events:
2022 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Employer Recognition & Job Fair Sponsored by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development: October 25, 2022 (In Person) at Camden County College
Diversity in Law Enforcement Forum:
October 27, 2022 (In Person) from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Passaic County Community College
Information Sessions for the Veterans Community:
Virtual sessions November 2, 2022, and November 22, 2022
CSC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Training Resources Webinar: Virtual session from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on December 8, 2022 (Virtual)
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.
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