MAYOR'S NEWSLINE

May 2008

IMPORTANT EVENTS
For contributions to the Mayors’ Newsline, please contact Karen E. Venditti, CMP, Editor at kvenditti@njslom.com or (609) 695-3481, ext. 118

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Scholarship Competition Foreclosure Show Restoring State Funding

FROM THE PRESIDENT
By Robert L. Bowser, Mayor, East Orange City

The COAH 3rd round regulations will impact all our municipalities up and down the state.  As Mayors, we need to lead the challenge to set aside these regulations.

At the direction of your League officers and with the guidance of your League COAH Committee, the League is doing everything within reason to administratively correct what we view as fundamentally flawed regulations based on arbitrary growth projections and an invalid methodology.    We are seeking changes to the proposed regulations and have even reached out to traditional adversaries to see if there is common ground.   In other words, we are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. 

As part of the effort to prepare for the worst, the League’s COAH Committee recommended that the League prepare for a possible legal challenge to set aside these regulations, after the anticipated June adoption; including a fundraising effort to prepare for such a challenge.  We are, therefore, seeking $500 pledges from municipalities who wish us to challenge the COAH regulations.     By seeking pledges now, we can confirm the level of support amongst our membership for what will likely be expensive litigation. 

Any final decision to proceed with litigation can not be made until we review the adopted regulations.  What we are doing is preparing ourselves in the event that litigation occurs.   We anticipate other stakeholders to file challenges, and believe that the voices of local government and taxpayers must be on equal footing with others challenging the regulations.

We are not asking Mayors to send any money now, only pledges so we can prepare for the worst with confidence the membership is committed to this cause.  A pledge form is available from Shirley Cade at scade@njslom.com or 609-695-3481 x114.

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to New Jersey’s local communities.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Our thanks to the following mayors participating in the 2008 Louis Bay 2nd Future Municipal Leaders
Scholarship Competition

The League will mail appropriate certificates to the mayors, for distribution to all participating students.  Mayors who submitted the three top applicants will be sent $1,000 scholarship checks to present to those students.

LEAGUE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING

STATE BUDGET SUMMIT
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
9:00 - Noon
War Memorial George Washington Ballroom
West Lafayette Street,
Trenton, New Jersey

*Only municipalities (in the State of New Jersey) who are dues paying members of the League may take advantage of the Member Rate

This high-level meeting is on the prospects for meaningful municipal property tax relief in the State’s next budget, coming one week after the Legislature is provided with the crucial revised revenue estimates.  Jim Hooker, Statehouse Correspondent for NJN Television has agreed to moderate a panel of key state policy-makers and veteran mayors. Our invited panelists are State Treasurer David Rousseau, DCA Commissioner Joe Doria, Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Buono, Assembly Budget Committee Chair Lou Greenwald, Senate Republican Budget Officer Leonard Lance and Assembly Republican Budget Officer Joe Malone.

AGENDA

Please download the registration form on line at
 www.njslom.com and click on the Calendar of Events or call the League office if you need a registration form faxed