New NJ property tax guide, authored by Bloustein School expert, 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 residents for understanding property taxes. The publication, “New Jersey Homeowner’s Guide to Property Taxes,” answers everyday questions homeowners have about how their home’s value is assessed, how their tax bill is created and where tax dollars get allocated. […]

What is the cost of damage to city vehicles in accidents?

The accident reports for the five cities and municipalities reviewed by MyCentralJersey.com spanned six years, from 2011 to 2016, and included accidents in which public employees were at fault and also accidents in which they were not. The majority of the accidents involved emergency responders, such as vehicles driven by police and fire department employees, as well […]

New Jersey state agencies face challenges as advocates seek era of open government data, Rutgers report finds

(originally posted by Rutgers Today/Rutgers Media Relations) Meeting the public’s demand for open government data presents opportunities for elected and appointed officials, as well as many challenges, including associated costs and privacy issues, a Rutgers report finds. Forty representatives from academia, civic groups, media, municipal, county and state government and open government advocates participated in […]

Christie announces state takeover of Atlantic City finances

Ultimately, whether its a takeover depends on nuances of the legislation, said Mark Pfeiffer, a former deputy director with the state Division of Local Government Services. Will the city council be consulted? Will the Local Finance Board act on the council’s behalf? What’s if there’s a disagreement? “The devil in this case is in the details,” […]

Rutgers study finds local governments use outdated technology

But local government agencies and other organizations can become technologically proficient to understand and manage their technology risks, according to the Bloustein Local Government Research Center. As stated by the center, there are six interrelated categories of risk: cyber security, legal, operational, financial, “reputational” and societal. Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director and senior policy fellow at the center, […]

Marc Pfeiffer recognized with AEA Wave Service Award

Marc H. Pfeiffer, Senior Policy Fellow and Assistant Director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center, was recently recognized by the Association of Environmental Authorities with the 2015 Wave Service Award. The Association of Environmental Authorities of NJ bestows Wave Awards each year to recognize excellence in the public water, wastewater, recycling, and solid waste sectors […]