Twelfth Annual New Jersey Mayors’ Legislative Priority Survey 2010

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SURVEY ONLINE USING THE FORM BELOW

The League’s Legislative Action Team is your link to policy makers in our State Capital. As your municipality’s primary policy decision maker, your opinion on these matters is crucial to our efforts to accurately reflect municipal thinking. Your responses will guide our efforts over the next twelve months.

Please identify the response that reflects your opinion on the following questions

.

1.    CY 2011/FY  2012 Municipal Budget
The upcoming municipal budget will be the first budget implementing the 2% cap.  What action(s) will you likely take to meet the 2% cap.
(Check all that apply)

Reduce Services	Examine Consolidation with another municipality
Shared Services	Initiate Accelerated Tax Sale
One-Time Revenue (i.e., sale of public property	Reduce staff from Full-time to Part-time
Furloughs	Salary givebacks from employees
Eliminate Services	Concessions from employees
Lay-Offs	Deferring capital improvements
Increased Fees	Increased Health Care contribution from employees
Other (Please Specify)

2.    Municipal Website

a. Does your municipality have an official website?  Yes No

b. If yes, does your municipality post the:

Current Year Budget  Yes No

Public Notices  Yes No

Minutes of the governing body  Yes No

Agendas of the governing body  Yes No

c.  If yes, does your municipality manage the site with   Staff Contractor Both

3.    Constitutional Convention
Would you support a constitutional convention exclusive to property tax reform?  Yes No

4.    Clean Energy
There is a trend towards renewable energy and “Going Green” to improve energy efficiency and reduce cost.

a. Has your municipality implemented any “green” technology?   Yes No

b. If yes, please list which technologies you have implemented: 
          

5.    Municipal Consolidation and Shared Services
Please rank the following obstacles to entering into a shared service or consolidation of service with a neighboring community?
(Ranking 1-7, with 1 as the most difficult and 7 the least)

Savings not immediately realized    1 2 3 4 5 6 7
State laws and/or regulations  1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Cost related to feasibility study  1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 Implementation cost  1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Local politics  1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Demographics 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

6.    Longevity
Does your municipality provide longevity to:

a.         PERS employees  Yes No

b.         If yes, is the longevity based on    Fixed Dollar amount Percentage of salary

c.         PFRS employees  Yes No N/A

d.         If yes, is the longevity based on  Fixed Dollar Amount Percentage of salary

 

7.    Health Benefit Cost
Health care costs continue to raise and is a contributing factor towards high personnel cost.  Do you require your municipal employees to contribute more than 1.5% of their base salary towards their health benefit premiums?

Yes No

 

8.    Housing Question
The recent Appellate Division decision struck down the 3rd round regulations, and ordered COAH to revert back to its 2nd round methodology.    If COAH is not abolished via legislation, which would you prefer:

Return to 2nd round methodology revision of a growth share methodology

 

9.    Local Budget Stressors
Please rank the following municipal budget stressors, based on their impact on your ability to deliver high quality essential services, with “1” being the most significant problem and “9” being the least significant problem.

State under-funding of revenue replacement programs (CMPTRA and Energy Tax)  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Assessment Appeals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Collection Rate and Reserve for Uncollected Taxes  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
State Mandates 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Utility Costs  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Health Benefit Costs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
State Pension System Costs  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Employee Salaries and Wages  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Other (Please specify below) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Other comment


10.    EMS
How do you deliver emergency medical services (EMS) in your community? (Check all that apply).

Volunteers  Full time paid department Part-Time Paid Dept and Volunteers Shared Services
Other

 

11.    Property Tax Relief
Please rank the following impediments to addressing property tax relief, with “1” being the most significant and “5” being the least.

The current recessionary economy 1 2 3 4 5
 Inability of Governor and State Legislature to reach a political consensus  1 2 3 4 5
Too many local governments  1 2 3 4 5
Political strength of special interests and unions 1 2 3 4 5
Other (please specify) 1 2 3 4 5  

12.    Public Safety

a. Have you implemented any programs to replace the need for police and fire personnel, such as the use of parking enforcement officers?
Yes No


b. If yes, please describe these programs:

 

The following information is required to ensure we only have one survey response per municipality.

Name: A value is required.  Municipality: A value is required.  Zip Code A value is required.Five digit US code
Telephone: A value is required.     E-Mail: A value is required.Invalid format.

Thank You

.

.

.