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New Jersey State League of Municipalities In his annual visit with the mayors, Bill outlined some state level issues that will impact local governments. At the top of the list was arbitration awards that were capped by law at 2% at the same time the Governor and Legislature capped municipal budgets. Unlike the budget cap, […]

New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District Representative Runyan brought the mayors up to date on a number of issues in what will probably be his last appearance before the mayors as a sitting congressman. He has announced that he will not run for re-election this year. On his first visit with the mayors in January of

Andy Raichle, Vice President Kaitlyn Walsh, Planner of Matrix New World Engineering Inc. Matrix New World Engineering, an international firm based in Florham Park, N.J., sponsored this month’s meeting of the Ocean County Mayors’ Association. David Eareckson, Andy Raichle, and Kaitlyn Walsh brought the mayors up to date on engineering-related issues surrounding Hurricane Sandy recovery

Recovery New Jersey Talent Network, Manager of Business Engagement & Professional Education Michael Forcella described the efforts of the Recovery New Jersey Talent Network to help businesses displaced or disrupted by Hurricane Sandy. That involves bringing employers and potential employees together and providing programs that can help. At one end, the program finds employable talent

President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Benjamin Spinelli outlined a federal initiative called Local Resilience Partnerships that involve municipalities banding together to address shared concerns — in this instance responses to the challenges posed by Hurricane Sandy. For example, Spinelli said, shore communities on Long Beach Island face conditions that differ from those of

Ocean County College Dr. Larson spoke about the challenge of student debt and thanked the mayors for their scholarship program. Scholarships, he said, are increasingly important for many students. He also pointed out that while the cost of higher education has risen sharply, it is still possible to study for two years at Ocean County

Division of Local Government Services, noting that problems with the division’s online financial disclosure forms are being addressed, and that many questions respondents had are answered in the instructions. However, some of the trouble experienced involved the respondent’s technology. On the hardware side, Vaz cited Mac and iPad computers. Troublesome software included the Google Chrome

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection DEP Commissioner Bob Martin speaks to the mayors. On left is DEP Director, Office of Local Government Assistance, Cindy Randazzo. Commissioner Martin brought the mayors up to date on DEP efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The department, he said, had five priority areas. The first is debris

Andrew Raichle, P.E In the Wake of Hurricane Sandy Freeholder and frequent O.C. Mayors attendee Joe Vicari (on the left above) spoke first, describing a troubling situation for the county. Damage from Hurricane Sandy has cost Ocean County as much as $4.5 billion in ratable properties — “billion with a B,” Joe stressed — and

New Jersey League of Municipalities Ms. Buckelew, appearing on behalf of League Executive Director Bill Dressel, updated the mayors on issues involving the N.J. League of Municipalities, including these legislative concerns: League representatives testified before an assembly committee in support of a bill that would have some energy taxes currently collected by the state paid