Pfeiffer said voters go to the polls and reject measures for a number of reasons, depending on other conditions. They may be voting no because they don’t like the way their municipality is run, or because of economic conditions or other factors, without regard to what is going on with its schools and their needs, he said.
Topic
local government
Local Agencies Look to the Right Video Storage Solution for Their Environments
A number of hardware vendors have introduced Storage as a Service elements, Pfeiffer says, which could potentially help state and local governments simplify video data administration.
“You can buy cameras, pay for them over a number of years and get storage along with it,” he says
City to Plug Budget Hole With $33M in Land Sales, Solomon is a no Vote
“It doesn’t make it a great practice, but it’s often necessary to meet competing demands,” said Pfeiffer, one being “sometimes” an interest from officials in keeping taxes low.
Which North Jersey town is most expensive? Highest average property tax in Bergen, Passaic
But shared services often yield savings only on a case-by-case basis at the local level rather than statewide, said Rutgers’ Pfeiffer, while Ciattarelli’s proposal for an alternating property tax rate could run afoul of the state constitution.
“You can’t give some people a lower rate than other people,” Pfeiffer said. “You have to assess everybody at the same standard.”
Funding for lawmakers’ pet projects largely flowed to Democratic districts
“If a legislator is threatened, if their district is more at risk, they get greater consideration,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University’s Center for Urban Research who has long experience in state and local government.
NJ’s credit rating just improved again. Here’s why it matters
The rating upgrade announcement is “very reputational,” 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.
New city chatbot makes information more accessible, mayor says
“For local governments, chatbots create exciting opportunities to improve customer service, automate tasks and cut costs,” according to Marc Pfeiffer. “Residents routinely need information on topics like garbage collection, parking permits, construction projects and event schedules. Chatbots can provide 24/7 automated self-service for these frequent citizen inquiries.”
TECH UPDATES: Technology Policies for Your Community
The key is to stay informed and use technology to better serve your residents. Regular assessment of technology needs and impacts will help you develop policies that truly benefit your community.
Loh and Noland Explore Public Charging Station Disparities
ontrary to the general notion of unequal access to public charging stations across different income groups, we found that the disparity was minimal. Assuming a full fleet of EVs and the current level of charging infrastructure, the success rate for all income groups is low but similar using 2035 trip-level data.
NJSPL Report: Analyzing the Use and Equity of ARPA Funds
The study’s findings have two key implications for future federal aid programs. First, many local governments allocated ARPA funds in alignment with the policy’s primary goals—responding to the economic and health crises. This suggests that maintaining flexibility in future federal aid programs would enable local governments to tailor spending to their unique needs. Second, ARPA funds were allocated to more distressed local governments, demonstrating a potential model for future federal aid programs to ensure resources reach areas with the greatest need.