There are certain things that the state is committed to by constitution or by law. Medicaid is increasing, school aid is increasing,” said Richard Keevey, a former state budget director and comptroller.
Topic
Posts
New Jersey Hit By Cyber Attacks On Schools, Hospitals
Class was canceled Monday across the Freehold Township school district, but not for the familiar January troubles of slushy roads, frozen pipes or a busted boiler. No, this was “a cybersecurity event” that ground school business to a halt. Marc Pfeiffer weighs in on ways to protect against such attacks.
Full-time perks for part-time work? For these politicians, taxpayers footed the bill
“There’s going to be a percentage — a small percentage — of outliers who try to or are gaming the system with this,” Pfeiffer said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot of people caught in the middle who actually do stuff.”
Sagging revenue, looming costs could sink big senior citizen tax cut plan
Sagging revenue and a bevy of looming funding needs in the coming fiscal year threaten to pull New Jersey’s $8.1 billion surplus below a threshold that would pause the nascent StayNJ property tax relief program before it sends out a single payment.
West New York police earn high salaries, even more than Jersey City cops
Crime doesn’t pay in West New York, but being a police officer sure does. The working-class north Hudson town of roughly 52,000 spends nearly 20% of his annual budget, or $19.6 million, on its police department, and it doesn’t even have a police chief, according to...
Bar part-time officials from full-time perks, incoming N.J. lawmaker says
“That doesn’t excuse individuals who have consciously abused the system,” said Pfeiffer, now a professor at Rutgers University. “But there are probably any number of cases where elected officials can spend 30, 35 hours a week in their job as an unpaid or low-paid elected official.
While most towns have gone back to in-person meetings, Lakewood remains virtual
Pfeiffer said holding meetings online also risks technical problems, as well as online infiltration: “You should carefully consider the risks of meeting disruptions and make sure you balance the interests of people.”
Marc Pfeiffer Uses Claude AI to Help Write Article: AI in Local Government, Helpful or Harmful?
For local governments, chatbots create exciting opportunities to improve customer service, automate tasks and cut costs. Marc Pfeiffer, Assistant Director of Bloustein Local, Center for Urban Policy Research, uses Claude AI to help write two articles on how to best incorporate this new technology.
TECH UPDATES: What Municipal CAOs Need to Know, Part 1: Tech Fitness and Cyber Hygiene
There are two basic elements of technology that every municipality must have. Most places already do this, but it doesn’t hurt to highlight them. The first is an expert to advise you and your governing body on technology issues. As with other experts you hire—a police...
Pfeiffer – Lakewood schools borrowed millions from New Jersey and still can’t pay its bills
The Lakewood School District in New Jersey is facing severe financial distress, having borrowed $165 million since 2014 and now seeking an additional $93 million loan from the state to stay afloat. This mounting debt has been primarily attributed to the district's...
Upcoming Events
Loading view.
Latest Past Events
Virtual Information Session: Graduate Program in Public Policy
VirtualLearn more about the curriculum for our master's degrees in public policy, as well as our graduate certificate, how to apply, career services support for students, and scholarship opportunities.
Introducing a New Inland Design Flood Elevation Dataset for NJADAPT
VirtualOn July 17, 2023, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) adopted its Inland Flood Protection Rule which, among other actions, establishes a new Design Flood Elevation (DFE) standard […]
Jersey City Alumni Mixer
Zeppelin Hall Biergarten 88 Liberty View Dr, Jersey CityJoin us for an alumni mixer in #JerseyCity on Thursday, June 6th at Zeppelin Hall Biergarten. Parking for Zeppelin Hall is FREE - more information can be found here: https://zeppelinhall.com/map/. This […]