New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 5 - COMMUNITY AFFAIRS › Chapter 30 - LOCAL FINANCE BOARD › Subchapter 3 - ANNUAL BUDGET › Section 5:30-3.8 - Municipal budgets, user-friendly budget section

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) The annual budget
				for every municipality shall include a section called the "User-Friendly Budget."
				The user-friendly budget section shall be part of and incorporated into both the
				introduced and adopted budgets, and be made available to the public.
(b) The user-friendly budget shall be in a format
				set forth by the Director, who shall provide standard forms for required use by each
				municipality, and be submitted electronically and in such other manner as may be set
				forth by the Director. The municipality need only submit to the Director the
				user-friendly budget section of the adopted budget; however, the Director may
				request from the municipality the user-friendly budget section corresponding with
				the introduced budget.
(c) All
				user-friendly budget data and information shall be for the current budget year
				unless otherwise stated; however, the Director shall have the discretion to require
				any current year data and information to be compared versus the prior
				year.
(d) The user-friendly budget
				section shall include the following:
1. For the
				prior and current year as appropriate, information pertaining to the tax levy and
				tax rate for each local government taxing entity;
2. Information pertaining to the prior year's tax
				collection rate, as well as the calculation for the current budget year of the
				reserve for uncollected taxes;
3. A
				summary of anticipated revenue for all operating funds for the current budget year,
				with a comparison versus the prior budget year. This item shall also include
				surplus;
4. A summary of appropriations
				by service type, with a comparison versus the prior budget year. This item shall
				also include information on how personnel are budgeted amongst various
				departments;
5. An individual listing of
				all structural imbalances, including any offsets, with the amount and a description
				for each;
6. Aggregate values of
				assessed and exempt properties, divided by category, as of the prior year;
7. The average ratio of assessed to true value and
				the equalized valuation of all taxable properties as of the prior year;
8. Information pertaining to the budgetary impact
				of property tax appeals as of the prior year;
9. As of the close of the prior budget year, the
				number and value of outstanding five-year tax exemptions/abatements awarded pursuant
				to 40A:21-1 et seq., divided by
				category;
10. As of the close of the
				prior budget year, the number and value of outstanding long-term tax exemptions
				awarded pursuant to
				40A:20-1 et seq. For long-term tax
				exemptions, the Director may require that each project be broken down individually
				by project name and type;
11. Budgeted
				personnel costs, which shall also include costs relating to elected
				officials;
12. A statement as to whether
				the municipality is subject to the provisions of the New Jersey Civil Service Law,
				Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes;
13. The net employer cost of medical and
				prescription health benefits provided to employees, retirees, and elected
				officials;
14. As of the final day of
				the prior budget year:
i. The gross number of days
				of accumulated absences and the dollar value of the same as of the final day of the
				prior budget year, broken down by bargaining unit in the case of unionized
				employees, and by individual position in the case of non-unionized employees with
				those non-union employees holding more than one position reported based on the
				accumulated absence liability for all positions held;
ii. For each collective bargaining unit or
				individual position, the legal basis for the benefit; and
iii. The number of individuals, regardless of
				whether part of a collective bargaining unit, that are subject to restrictions on
				accumulated absence compensation and/or accumulation pursuant to
				P.L.
				2007, c. 92 or
				P.L.
				2010, c. 3.
15. Gross and net municipal and utility
				fund(s) debt;
16. Outstanding principal
				and interest for bonds, bond anticipation notes, utility fund(s), loans, guarantees,
				capital/equipment leases, and other debt. In addition to the current year, such
				information may be displayed for the prior year and future years at the discretion
				of the Director;
17. Per capita
				gross/net debt based on most recent census data;
18. Net debt as percentage of the average property
				valuation over three years;
19. If
				rated, the bond rating along with the year of last bond rating; and
20. A listing of each shared service provided or
				received, what entity or entities are providing or receiving the service, the
				beginning and end date of the agreement as applicable, and the amount either
				received or paid for the service.