News & Events
Gov. Murphy vetoed a 20-year service pension bill for police and firefighters. Here’s why
A bill to allow police officers and firefighters with 20 years of service to retire early with a reduced pension, regardless of their age, was conditionally vetoed by Gov. Phil Murphy, who said he wants more clarity on how the legislation would impact the state pension system. Murphy returned the proposal to the state Senate on Monday and recommended...
Your tax dollars at work. The 2023 budget details for Warren County’s biggest towns.
Warren County municipalities had until April 28 to set their spending plans for 2023, including general fund budgets covering the costs of public services. By and large, property taxes pay for most services, and budgets are kept fairly unremarkable, but one consistent trend we noticed, across municipalities, was the approval of relatively flat or low tax...
Herb Op-Ed: It’s time to review laws on hazardous materials
The Ohio train derailment should prompt a review of measures that are supposed to protect people and the environment. Many New Jerseyans followed the Feb. 3 derailment of a train operated by Norfolk Southern, near East Palestine, Ohio, that triggered a fire sending fumes from several toxic chemicals into the local environment. Chemicals released...
Some NJ officials will no longer have to disclose their addresses. This is why
Legislation removing address disclosure requirements for New Jersey local elected officials cleared its second major hurdle Thursday. What the legislation says: The bill would no longer require local elected officials — and some non-elected public workers, including zoning officials, members of independent municipal authorities and certain high-ranking...
Can NJ Fix Its Messy School Funding Formula?
It’s a complicated situation. New Jersey’s school funding formula, which is supposed to equally provide all students with the chance to get a good education, is constantly being tweaked because some school districts wind up getting more or less than they need based on a variety of factors that change frequently. After the allocation of funding was modified...
Deep cuts to NJ school funding could be partially reduced
Lawmakers have fast-tracked a bill that would restore two-thirds of the state aid that school districts were set to lose in the upcoming year. Schools throughout the state were collectively preparing for a loss of about $157 million. The proposed legislation would restore $102.8 million and provide a one-time payment to districts that were losing funding...
Murphy’s New Jersey budget plan would beef up reserves, pay down debt
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled his executive budget proposal for fiscal year 2024, a record $53.1 billion plan that takes into account the state’s expectation for a shallow and short recession by holding off on large new initiatives while boosting reserves and addressing long-term obligations. “This budget will better prepare New Jersey for any...
These North Jersey taxpayers may not get their full SALT deduction this year
The average property tax bill in six North Jersey towns rose to over $10,000, making it impossible for residents with bills higher than that to deduct their entire tax bill from their federal taxes. That’s thanks to a $10,000 Trump-era cap on deducting state and local taxes from federal tax returns. Between 2021 and 2022, the average property tax bill...
How the ultra-rich, from Trump to Bruce, dodge their taxes and increase yours
Drive around an exclusive town like Mendham, in Morris County, and you’ll see homes that are palaces, with big swimming pools, tennis courts, and manicured lawns that seem to stretch on forever. These folks are doing all right. Many of them are also getting away with murder when it comes to property taxes by pretending they are farmers. If you own at least...
Some N.J. municipal council meetings are still virtual. Residents are asking why.
Piscataway is one of several New Jersey municipalities still holding public meetings remotely nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic. While some Piscataway council members sit in the council chambers for the Zoom call, others sign in for the meeting from home. And the public can only watch or listen online or on the phone. Some residents in...
Recent Products
Implementing the energy transition: lessons from New Jersey’s residential solar industry
Abstract A desire to shift from fossil fuels to non-carbon-emitting energy sources has become an imperative supported by national, state, and local policies. In the U.S., a diverse array of policies at multiple levels of government have helped the solar industry...
Effect of heatwaves on PM2.5 levels in apartments of low-income elderly population. A case study using low-cost air quality monitors
Abstract Heatwaves are known to result in negative health effects in general and especially in vulnerable populations. At the same time, the effect of high outdoor temperatures on indoor air quality is largely unknown. To start filling this knowledge gap, we recruited...
Leading Practices for Proactive & Equitable Property Acquisitions to Enhance Climate Resilience: A Report on Best Practices in Managed Retreat
Managed or planned retreat is a climate change adaptation strategy that allows the shoreline to advance inward unimpeded, necessitating the removal of buildings and other built infrastructure. To facilitate managed retreat efforts, federal, state, and local government...
Special Issue Collection: Risk Communication during Crises and Chronic Exposures
Karen Lowrie co-edited a special issue for the journal Risk Analysis, supported by the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, that includes about 30 articles on the topic of effective methods for communicating risk during hazardous events and...