The event will be held on September 28-29, 2023, at the Waterfront Conference Center in Atlantic City's Harrah's Resort.

The conference is entirely self-funded through registration fees and sponsorship opportunities.

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. 

FREE Consulting Services Available for American Rescue Plan's Local Fiscal Recovery Fund

Take advantage of the FREE consulting services offered by the State of the New Jersey's Governor's Disaster Recovery Office. Four consulting firms that specialize in disaster recovery and local operations are available FREE to counties and municipalities to advise on use and compliance issues with Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (LFRF). Among other advice, the consultants can provide information related to the following questions:

- Are our disaster recovery programs constructed properly to ensure maximum impact?

- Are we compliant with US Treasury Final Rule and related guidance?

- Are we compliant with 2 CFR Part 200?

- Are our procurements compliant with the applicable provisions of 2 CFR Part 200?

- Are we ready for a potential audit from US Treasury's Office of Inspector General?

- Do we have a system of internal control to ensure proper review?

- How can we advance projects and use funds related to the new interim final rule which expands eligibility to now include disaster relief, surface transportation infrastructure, and Title I projects?

P.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.

The FY 2023 Marriage License Reimbursement (MLR) Program has expired on Friday, June 30, 2023.

Master Blanket Purchase Order (Blanket P.O./Contract) # 020-GNSV2-01186, awarded to Infostore Records Management, has been assigned to VRC Companies LLC as Blanket P.O./Contract # 24-GNSV2-51689.

VRC Companies LLC will now provide the services required under Bid Solicitation T1128 - Record Storage and Retrieval (DARM).

NOTE: Blanket P.O./Contract # 24-GNSV2-51689 will be opened for a period of ten (10) business days for Payment Only, commencing on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, and expiring on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.

**Please be advised, if Purchase Orders are created during this time period, they will be subject to a forthcoming price increase at the time of extension.

The Division of Purchase and Property is working to extend the current Blanket P.O./Contract, to prevent a lapse in service.

More information will be forthcoming.

Blanket P.O./Contract # 24-GNSV2-51689 will become visible in the system on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Please use the following steps to access the new contract in NJSTART:

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has launched the Resilient Communities Program, a Hurricane Ida recovery program that helps local governmental entities such as counties and municipalities make public infrastructure such as roads, drainage systems, and buildings more resilient to current and future natural hazards.

The Resilient Communities Program is the fifth Ida recovery program that DCA has launched and is part of the third phase of the Murphy Administration's Ida Recovery Strategy, which is focused on helping households and communities still in need of assistance from the damaging effects of Hurricane Ida, which hit New Jersey in September 2021.

"In addition to helping local communities recover from Hurricane Ida, we want to lessen the impacts of future disasters by strengthening infrastructure and putting resiliency measures in place," said Lt.

Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner.  "The Resilient Communities Program is designed to help local governments achieve these objectives through financial and technical assistance. We strongly encourage cities, towns, and counties that were impacted by Ida to apply for these grant funds."

DCA's Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation is administering the Resilient Communities Program, which is being funded with federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) monies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Eligible applicants include municipalities, counties, special districts, and federally recognized tribal governments within the counties that HUD and the State identified as most impacted and distressed by Hurricane Ida. Those counties are Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren. Each applicant is eligible to apply for no more than one distinct resiliency project. Exceptions to this may be made for multi-jurisdiction applications.

Eligible project activities may include but are not limited to structure elevation; construction or reconstruction of infrastructure; installation of public works and other facilities; structural retrofitting; infrastructure retrofits; property demolition; dry floodproofing; and property acquisition and relocation.

Applications will be scored based on whether the project includes such Resilient Communities Program priorities as:

- Mitigates flooding risk to public infrastructure, people, and property;

- Protects and benefits disadvantaged communities;

- Is a cost-effective solution to natural hazard risk;

- Promotes resiliency through ancillary or triple bottom line benefits (social, environmental, and economic benefits);

- Considers climate change and future conditions;

- Leverages federal, state, and local partnerships;

- Is designed and scoped with public input and meaningful stakeholder engagement;

- Can be feasibly implemented and completed within the budget and timeframe required;

- Incorporates nature-based solutions; and

- Is ready for construction to begin within a short time.

The application period opened on June 28th and closes on December 15, 2023.

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.

Murphy Administration Announces More Than $4.6 Million in

Local Government Grant Awards in 2023 under the Shared Service Czar Program

LEAP Grants Are Designed to Promote and Encourage the Sharing of Services

TRENTON, NJ - The Murphy Administration and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs' (DCA) Division of Local Government Services (DLGS9)today announced the award of 24 Local Efficiency Achievement Program (LEAP) grants this year to local governmental entities across New Jersey. These grants, totaling $4.681 million, will help local governments pursue shared services initiatives to reduce taxpayer costs and enhance services. The grant awards will support the County Coordinator Fellowship program underway in several New Jersey counties while encouraging the design and implementation of a variety of shared services activities, including public safety, emergency dispatch, sanitation, public works, sewerage and wastewater services, and school feasibility studies.

"Shared services are a great solution for municipalities, enabling them to provide important services while also alleviating the financial burden on local taxpayers," said Governor Murphy. "These grants exemplify our Administration's continuous commitment to making New Jersey a more affordable state for our residents, and I look forward to more programs from DCA in the future that support our communities."

"I am pleased to see how successful the LEAP program has been for municipalities," said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. "More and more local entities are realizing how beneficial shared services can be and how by working collaboratively to pursue shared services, they can operate more efficiently and ensure better delivery of services for their residents."

The LEAP program is comprised of three grant opportunities: 

Challenge Grants, which promote innovation and collaboration on more expansive projects that produce shared services of notable significance. Implementation Grants, which assist in covering costs associated with the implementation of shared services and school feasibility studies, and County Coordinator Fellowship Grants, which support the position of a full- time or part-time County Shared Service Coordinator to identify and advance potential shared services within a county.

"Shared Services have reduced operational costs while simultaneously providing operational efficiencies and better services in local governments across the state," said DLGS Director Jacquelyn Suarez. "In partnership with the Governor's Shared Service Czars, we have helped execute over 2,200 shared services agreements with over $110 million in cost savings and enhanced services. Some of the largest cost savings have occurred in the sharing of correctional facilities, municipal courts, and police dispatch."

In 2018, Governor Murphy appointed two former Mayors, Nicolas Platt and Jordan Glatt, to serve as Shared Services Czars. They work closely with DLGS, who established the Local Assistance Bureau (LAB), which provides technical assistance for each step of the shared services process from identification through implementation. The LAB team is comprised of municipal professionals who possess expertise and accumulated knowledge, skill sets and insights to bring an inventive and professional outlook to the field of municipal shared services. "We are very pleased to see the positive impact this is having on so many municipalities throughout New Jersey," said Mayor Platt. "This program is closely following the Governor's original vision five years ago when he placed shared services at the top of this agenda as a way to address our state's crippling property tax burden," added Mayor Glatt.

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.

Filing Deadline with U.S. Treasury - April 30, 2023 - with DLGS - May 12, 2023

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:

In June 2023, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will launch the Resilient Communities Program (RCP), a grant program that provides up to $5 million to local governments and municipalities for eligible projects to restore and strengthen storm-damaged communities.

Funded by Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the program is designed to support the efforts of local governments to strengthen community infrastructure to withstand future storms.

RCP is a competitive grant program designed to fund public infrastructure projects that focus on recovery and resilience, by reducing the risk of damage from future storms and other flood-related natural hazards.

Program Priorities

Projects will be assessed based on the following priorities:

1. Mitigates risks to public infrastructure, people, and property
2. Protects and benefits disadvantaged communities
3. Cost-effective solutions to natural hazard risks
4. Meets budgetary and timeframe requirements
5. Leverages federal, state, and local partnerships
6. Considers climate change and future conditions
7. Incorporates community and stakeholder feedback
8. Integrates nature-based solutions
9. Generated from a previous qualifying award

Eligibility

To apply for the program, local governments must be located in one of the following storm impacted counties:

Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, Warren