Monday, November 19, 2012
SOD's Communication Chair asks why towns with affordable housing units built before COAH laws went into effect cannot qualify to satisfy COAH obligations.
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Monday, November 19, 2012
New Jersey’s Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) requirements are killing small towns across this state. Don’t get me wrong: I fully embrace the concept of affordable housing. There are many communities that do not have affordable housing within their borders and have not done anything to try to reach that goal. This is not a case of NIMBY. This is the simple reality that many older communities do not have land left to develop. They may have significant numbers of truly affordable housing units within their borders which do not qualify toward their COAH obligation simply by the virtue that they were built before the COAH obligations went into effect. So, along come the big, bad developers who have no interest in constructing affordable …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
"I am urging all New Jerseyans to take every possible and reasonable precaution to ready themselves for the storm’s potential impact."
With reports of severe weather conditions coming our way, Governor Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency throughout the state. "As we move towards what is an increasingly likelihood of seeing Sandy make landfall in New Jersey, I am urging all New Jerseyans to take every possible and reasonable precaution to ready themselves for the storm’s potential impact," Christie said. Christie encourages that everyone prepare an emergency action plan for those with special needs in order to keep people from taking unneccessary risks and staying off the roads during the storm. Families and friends who know residents with special needs are encouraged to register them with the state's Special Needs Registry. Registering provides information to…
Friday, October 26, 2012
In advance of Sandy, Governor orders reservoirs lowered and flood gates opened.
Hearing the pleas of local officials and their constituents devastated by the flooding that followed Hurricane Irene, Governor Chris Christie has announced that he has ordered the reservoirs to be lowered in advance of Hurricane Sandy to mitigate any potential flooding. Hurricane Sandy, christened 'Frankenstorm' because of its unique characteristics, has been described by weather services as a cross between a hurricane and a winter storm, packing the potential to deliver a minimum of 4-5 inches of rain with 30-40 mile per hour winds. The reservoirs that will be lowered are the Woodcliffe Lake-Lake Tappan-Oradell Reservoir system operated by United Water in Bergen County; the Charlottesburg Reservoir, operated by the City of Newark; the …
Monday, August 6, 2012
Law extends time it takes to be granted tenure, which will be tied to new evaluation system.
Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation into law Monday that transforms the existing teacher tenure system, tying it to a teacher’s performance in the classroom and not just on how long an educator has been in the profession. The Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act goes into effective starting with the 2013-2014 school year, and was created with input from the New Jersey Education Association. The legislation enacts three new measures: “We are taking a huge leap forward in providing a quality education and real opportunity to every student in New Jersey,” Christie said in a statement. "Now is the time to build on this record of cooperation and results to put in place further reforms focused …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Christie pledges support for providing critical programs and services to individuals with autism, streamlines services under one division.
In a reversal from the familiar cutting and slashing of programs over the course of the last several years, Governor Chris Christie's 2013 budget includes funding for critical programs and services for individuals with autism. Christie reaffirmed his commitment to providing autism services Tuesday morning in a town hall meeting at the Somerset Hills Learning Institute in Bedminster, a private non-profit program that serves children, adolescents and adults with autism. Christie vowed during Tuesday's meeting to find new and innovative ways to help New Jersey families impacted by autism while protecting services and programs from being cut. One of his major initiatives is the creation of the Division of Child Integrated System of Care …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
With one of every three dollars of the governor's budget earmarked for education, schools wait to see how much they will actually receive
To big applause, Gov. Chris Christie yesterday highlighted that his proposed fiscal 2013 budget would include an additional $213 million in aid to public schools, but the cheers may not be widespread when the details reveal how the money is distributed. Districts are to learn today how each will fare under Christie's $32.1 billion spending plan, and although the overall amount in state school aid is going up about 1.7 percent, state officials said it will not be across-the-board increases to all 500-plus districts. State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff said a "vast majority of districts will be getting a slight increase." But the administration also for the first time will be using the state's funding formula in the distribution of aid, …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Christie vetoed the bill, as promised, the same day it arrived on his desk.
Governor Christie conditionally vetoed the gay marriage bill Friday afternoon, delivering on his promise of "swift action" against the measure, which passed in both houses of the Legislature this week. Christie's veto came a day after the state Assembly passed the bill legalizing same-sex marriages by a 42-33 vote. The governor, an opponent of gay marriage, had promised "very swift action" if the bill passed in both houses. The Senate approved the bill Monday in a 24-16 vote. In a prepared statement Friday, the governor said the best approach would be to strengthen the state's current civil union law and suggested appointing an ombudsman to handle discrimination complaints from gay couples. "I have been just as adamant that same-sex …
Ulises
2:20 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
Thank you Lori, well said, and yes it's time to save this little open space. I hope we prevail and I hope our M&C doesn't get another chance to rezone this property to commercial as the Mayor and certain Council members want. SOD! more ›