Authorities and housing authorities submitting post-adoption budget amendments to the Division are required to submit such amendments through the FAST system. Authorities and housing authorities are required to upload a full copy of the amended budget to FAST, not just the amended pages. A copy of the resolution amending the budget after adoption, and any additional documentation regarding the amendment, must also be uploaded as part of the post-adoption amendment submission process. Existing FAST access to the authority and housing authority modules will allow for access to the amendments tab within the adopted budget folder. A user guide regarding this process is available on the FAST webpage

The Local Finance Board recently adopted amendments to N.J.A.C. 5:30-16.2 requiring the following officials to enroll in GovConnect by November 1, 2023: Municipal Business Administrators and Managers, County Administrators and Managers, Certified Public Works Managers (CPWMs), and individuals designated to serve as a local unit's purchasing agent (both QPA and non-QPA). The covered officials will receive GovConnect and E-Government for Government (EGG) notifications via e-mail from the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS).

These EGG Notices provide crucial information to local officials, including updates on new guidance, summaries of important notices, changes in certification requirements, notifications about newly enacted legislation, and important upcoming deadlines.

P.L. 2019, c. 366 (N.J.S.A. 34:1A-1.16) authorized the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) to create a list on its website, dubbed the Workplace Accountability in Labor List (The WALL), of any person found in violation of any State wage, benefit, and tax laws and against whom a final order has been issued by the NJDOL for such violation.  Any person or business named on The WALL is prohibited from contracting with any contracting unit until the liability for violations of State wage, benefit, and tax laws have been paid in full. 

.L. 2022, c. 3, signed into law on March 9, 2022, required the State Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to develop, based on credible information available to the public, a list of persons and entities engaging in prohibited activities in Russia or Belarus (Russia-Belarus list). On August 4, 2023, a company obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, which enjoins the State from enforcing N.J.S.A. 52:32-60.1 against that company on the ground that the statute is likely inconsistent with federal law. Due to the ongoing litigation, Treasury has removed the Russia-Belarus list from its website, and the State (along with its agencies and instrumentalities) has voluntarily suspended further implementation of the Russia-Belarus law until further order of the Court.

While the State continues to defend the law in court, in light of the Court's decision and the Russia-Belarus list being taken down, contracting units under the Local Public Contracts Law, Public School Contracts Law, and County College Contracts Law are not required to enforce the Russia-Belarus vendor/contractor certification requirement at this time.

There have been reports that some municipalities are allowing Contractors to bid on Design-Build projects who are not DPMC classified in the Design Build trade (C007) and therefore are not approved to perform work as a Design Build Contractor in accordance with P.L. 2021, c. 71. For Design Build projects undertaken by local governments and boards of education, N.J.A.C. 5:34-10.7(5) requires the bidder on a project to be classified with DPMC in the Design-Build trade (C007). No other DPMC trade classifications are allowable or appropriate for the prime contractor/bidder on a Design-Build project. See the DLGS Design-Build regulations at for further details. In the near future, DLGS will be issuing a Local Finance Notice with further guidance on the design build process.

Notice sent to: Procurement Officials; Municipal & County CFOs; Administrators/Managers; Authority Officials; Fire District Officials; Auditor Listserv

Proposed revisions in the service charge schedule of a municipal utilities authority (MUA) or sewerage authority (SA) must be considered at a public hearing advertised at least 20 days after notice of the proposed adjustment and hearing is 1) mailed to the clerk of each municipality serviced by the authority and 2) published in at least two newspapers of general circulation in the area serviced by the authority. P.L. 2023, c. 39 amended N.J.S.A. 40:14A-8 and 40:14B-23 to allow an MUA or SA to provide a live recording of the hearing upon request to any interested party in lieu of a hearing transcript. The recording, which may be audio-only or with video and audio, shall be provided at no cost.

The Director of DLGS has extended to September 29, 2023 the deadline for all local units with a calendar year budget cycle to complete and file their 2022 audits.  This extension applies to counties, calendar year municipalities, and all calendar year authorities, including fire districts. The Order is available on the DLGS Rules and Regulations webpage. 

For the annual audits of counties and calendar year municipalities only, the Division is authorizing inclusion of the GASB 68 and GASB 75 information most recently published by the Division of Pensions and Benefits.

Counties and calendar year municipalities do not need to wait for the 2022 audited GASB 68 & GASB 75 information to be issued before completing and filing their audits. Authorities and fire districts are still required to include the 2022 audited GASB 68 and GASB 75 information in their CY2022 audits.

Local Finance Notice 2023-09 explains recent legislation on the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) and the Winter Termination Program.

The Authority and Housing Authority Audit Module is now available in the FAST portal. All Authority and Housing Authority audit reports beginning with FY 2022 and CY 2022 and forward are required to be submitted to the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) through an upload in the FAST module. 

To complete the audit submission in FAST, the Auditor of Record must first upload the Audit, Audit Questionnaire, and any other supporting documentation. Once complete, the Auditor of Record will submit their portion of the audit. Auditors of Record with existing FAST access can have authorities added to their account by requesting access in FAST. 

Only after submission by the Auditor, an authority official (Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, or equivalent) must upload the Audit Resolution, Audit Affidavit, Proof of Publication of Synopsis of Audit, and Corrective Action Plan (if applicable). Once uploaded, the designated authority official will submit their portion of the Audit. Authority officials who have submitted the authority budget will be able to submit the audit without the need for any additional FAST access. 

An Authority's designated official is not able to complete this process until the Auditor of Record has fully completed their portion of the Audit submission. The Audit submission process is not considered complete until the authority official has submitted. There is no data entry that takes place directly in the portal. 

Please refer to the Authority and Housing Authority Audit User Guide for detailed instructions: