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Local, state officials talk disproportionate impact of PILOT programs on Western Mass. communities "> State Auditor Suzanne Bump met with state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Sunderland, and Rep. Susannah Whipps I-Athol, and town officials atop Mount Sugarloaf on Friday morning. Staff Photo/Paul Franz "> State Auditor Suzanne Bump met with local legislators and town officials atop Mount Sugarloaf on Friday morning. Staff Photo/Paul Franz "> The view south from Mount Sugarloaf on Friday morning. State Rep. Natalie Blais said, pointing out to the valley below Mount Suga...

New estimate puts likely cost of early voting in New Jersey this fall at $83 million-plus, about twice what the state has budgeted so far.

The county is responsible to pay for the general election "in its entirety," with the local governments paying for primaries, Parrott wrote. The deputy county clerk's original letter explained that state mandates stemming from the 2018 and 2019 election changes in the state, raised costs because they require counties to send mail-in ballots to all registered voters. Those mailed ballots include special envelopes to return the ballots by mail, or to bring it to a drop-off box. In addition to the cost of producing the ballots, there is an extra postage charge for those sent back via mail. I...

Credit: Sister72 via Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 Flood warning along the coast. New Jersey’s towns and cities must now plan for climate change after Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that requires municipalities to include effects like flooding and higher seas in updates of their master plans. The law (A-2785/S-2607) puts new demands on local governments to plan for coastal storms, shoreline erosion, bigger storms, flooding, and how they will affect a town’s current and future infrastructure. Municipalities must now identify critical facilities such as roads and utilities that might be affect...

Solar facility PILOT agreements do not always reflect the full tax value of solar equipment. State laws and guidelines governing the taxation of solar equipment are outdated and lack clarity PILOT agreements have increased in importance as developers seek tax exemptions for facilities. Uncertainty is contributing to a slowdown in development of solar facilities in the Commonwealth. DLM Recommendations Clarify the solar property tax exemption through legislative action. Clarify the tax status of solar facilities that may not be eligible to participate in PILOTS. Establish additional guidelines...