News & Events
New Jersey has contributed more than $800M in funding to Atlantic City for budgets since 2016
“In New Jersey, we have a single way of raising money, which is property taxes,” Pfeiffer said of municipal budgets. “Atlantic City has always been an exception to that because you have the hotels and then the casinos. You’ve always had a policy of state engagement to support Atlantic City’s municipal budget in particular.”
Will NJ taxpayers get help from Trump, Congress on expiring $10K SALT tax deduction?
“If it gets lifted to $20,000, that’s really going to be inclusive to a lot more places,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, who studies local government in New Jersey
The Future of Local News in New Jersey? It’s Adapting.
Rutgers Today, February 18, 2025 Rutgers policy expert Marc Pfeiffer discusses the decline of print, the rise of digital media, and what it means for New Jersey communities. With The Star-Ledger ending its print edition and The Jersey Journal shutting down, New Jersey’s media landscape is changing fast. But does the decline of print mean the end of local...
Pfeiffer Explores Public Policy and Surveillance Tech
Municipalities should have a sense of the technology’s costs (financial, societal, and reputational) versus its benefits. Financial costs include staff management time and storage fees; they will rise with the volume of data stored. Societal and reputational costs may come into play when deciding what physical locations warrant surveillance and if the technology is obvious or invisible to those affected by it.
Op-Ed: The future of New Jersey news is digital — and that’s OK
Earlier this month, I completed a report titled “The Future of New Jersey Journalism: Evolution, Not Extinction,” and it was recently released by the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. In it, I discussed the current environment facing New Jersey journalism, and recommendations on how it can thrive. I also analyzed the current debate about advertising legal notices in newspapers.
NJ watchdog chief owns house in Maryland, teaches in D.C., votes in Tinton Falls
“In person meetings have a value, they provide upfront interaction with the people they represent. It allows more direct participation and provides nuance that can’t be seen or observed or happen when you are on a webinar,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at the Bloustein Local Government Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University. “In person requires a little more formality. It requires a better sense of decorum, which is representative of the official nature of what is going on.”
Data shows reduced public participation under virtual-only Lakewood Township meetings
“In person meetings have a value, they provide upfront interaction with the people they represent. It allows more direct participation and provides nuance that can’t be seen or observed or happen when you are on a webinar,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at the Bloustein Local Government Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University. “In person requires a little more formality. It requires a better sense of decorum, which is representative of the official nature of what is going on.”
Montclair Holiday Party to Honor Town Manager Raises Eyebrows
“On this surface, this appears to strike a balance. It’s something they’ve done before,” Pfeiffer said. The employees likely have been buffeted by management changes with the governing body changes over the last year. You always have some people who may not like the idea. But here, the phrase ‘don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good applies.”
Why are more and more local governments communicating through public relations firms?
“This is a property tax appeal,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a municipal finance expert and assistant director at the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University. It boils down to “what is the calculation for square footage.”
Residents want Lakewood Township Committee meetings to be in person again. Town says no.
“This is a property tax appeal,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a municipal finance expert and assistant director at the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University. It boils down to “what is the calculation for square footage.”
Recent Products
About Legal Advertising
This second part of The Future of New Jersey Journalism: Evolution, Not Extinction examines the evolving landscape of legal advertising requirements in New Jersey amid significant changes in media publishing models. The impending cessation of print operations by New...
Key influences on residential photovoltaic solar panel adoption in the United States
The prevalence of low-density residential development to host solar PV, the ubiquity of solar irradiation, and incentivizing policies have created substantial opportunities for homeowners in the United States. Federal, state, and municipal governments implement...
Comparing ambient and personal measurements of exposure to urban heat stress
This paper reports on a field study of personal exposures to summer heat stress in Elizabeth, NJ, USA, a medium-sized city that hosts an international airport, a shipping port, a petrochemical refinery complex, and a major transportation corridor in a densely...
Tenant Perspectives on Building Electrification in Affordable Housing
Low-and Moderate-Income (LMI) tenants are at risk of being left behind in the clean energy transition. While building electrification's environmental and health benefits are evident, it can pose accessibility challenges for LMI residents, who already bear a...