“Elected officials should really watch who are they are appointing to positions, where they can appoint political patronage jobs. They really need...
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Local governments face financial crunch from coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has wrecked state finances – ballooning its spending, decimating its tax collections, requiring a federal rescue to keep it...
Many public employees cannot work from home. Towns are searching for new options.
Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director of the Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy,...
An officer was appointed to a cushy county job — after agreeing never to seek work there
Others are more skeptical. Marc H. Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy,...
Bloustein Local, NJMEL collaborate to promote Cybersecurity Month
To promote October 2019 as Cybersecurity Month, Bloustein Local and its partner, the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund collaborated on...
Op-Ed: Getting New Jersey’s Business Incentive Programs ‘Just Right’
The recent report on the state’s business incentive programs by the state comptroller had a positive effect; that’s exactly what comptroller reports...
Cybersecurity and Technology Management Guidance for Local Government
Over the last few years, the center has worked with the NJ Municipal Excess Liability Fund and other organizations to develop guidance on managing...
Where chaos rules. Why politics in three North Jersey towns got totally weird
“New Jersey residents are among the nation’s best educated and most affluent voters, but they have appeared content over the years to leave politics...
America’s Cities Are Running on Software From the ’80s
“New Jersey residents are among the nation’s best educated and most affluent voters, but they have appeared content over the years to leave politics...
NJ property tax guide, authored by Marc Pfeiffer, answers everyday questions for homeowners
The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) and New Jersey Realtors recently released a comprehensive guide for New Jersey...
Recent Products
New Jersey Homeowner’s Guide to Property Taxes
Property taxes are top of mind for many New Jersey homeowners. The state has the highest property taxes in the nation, with an average property tax bill of more than $8,400, and recent federal tax law changes limited the annual deduction for state and local taxes to...
Cultural and Institutional Factors Driving Severe Repetitive Flood Losses: Insights From the Jersey Shore
Decisions about how to respond to coastal flood hazards often involve disagreements over resource allocations. In the United States, large intergovernmental fiscal transfers have enabled rebuilding in areas that experience severe repetitive losses. This case study...
Who Lives in America’s Housing? Fifty State Demographic Multipliers
This residential demographic multipliers monograph presents the background to and context of residential demographic multipliers, and details the different facets of this information and how the varied data can be optimally applied. The monograph presents the multiple...
Tech Fitness for Local Elected Officials and Administrators
These articles were designed to help local government leaders develop “tech fitness” for their organizations. The idea of tech fitness is to ensure that organizations can meet expectations for technologically driven services, which today, include most government...