January 21, 2026

State Issues

Governor Murphy Takes Action on Legislation

In his final act before leaving office, Governor Murphy acted on legislation from the 221st Legislative Term.

Please read the League’s recent blog post on legislation with municipal interest that he acted on.

Contacts: Mike Cerra, Executive Director, mcerra@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x120, Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112, Paul Penna, Director of Government Affairs, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110, Sadayah Q. DuRant-Brown, Legislative Counsel, sdurantbrown@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137, and Erin Knoedler, Legislative Analyst, eknoedler@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.

Governor Sherrill’s Day One: Inauguration and Executive Orders 1 through 6

On January 20, Mikie Sherrill, who was sworn in as New Jersey's 57^th Governor, declared a state of emergency on utility costs and signed Executive Orders 1 through 6.

Contact: Erin Knoedler, Legislative Analyst, eknoedler@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.

Late Budget Introduction Fines

N.J.S.A. 40A:4-84 permits the Director of the Division of Local Government Services to impose a fine for refusing or failing to timely adopt municipal or county budgets.

Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.

SHBC Holds January Meeting

On Wednesday, January 14, the State Health Benefits Commission (SHBC) held its regularly scheduled January meeting and heard presentations from Aetna and Optum.

Contact: Erin Knoedler, Legislative Analyst, eknoedler@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.

Governor Murphy signs Executive Order 414

Governor Murphy signed Executive Order 414, one of his last, on January 16 regarding advisory entities.

Contact: Erin Knoedler, Legislative Analyst, eknoedler@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.

Federal Issues

Federal Budget Deadline Approaching

The federal budget expires on January 31. Bipartisan negotiators in Congress released a budget bill for consideration ahead of the deadline.

Contact: Paul Penna, Director of Government Affairs, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

Congressional Portal Opens for Army Corps and Water Infrastructure Projects

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee opened the internal Congressional portals to accept requests from Congressional members for Army Corps projects and/or water infrastructure projects.

Contact: Paul Penna, Director of Government Affairs, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

Also of Interest

NJEDA Hosts Garden State CPACE Webinar

NJEDA is hosting a webinar on how the Garden State CPACE program financing can drive private investment and sustainability.

Contact: Ciara Bradley, Research Associate, cbradley@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x128.

Show Off Your City 2026: Apply Today

The deadline is approaching for the Show Off Your City Contest. Municipalities are invited to send the League photos of their tourist attractions, downtown areas, economic development initiatives, parks, city halls, community groups, and new projects for the 2026 Show Off Your City Photo Contest!

The winning photo will be featured on the cover of the April issue of NJ Municipalities and the winner will also receive a free League publication of their choice. Entries will be posted on the League’s Facebook page, and some featured in the April issue of NJ Municipalities, and possibly other issues. 

Photos should be high-resolution JPEG, the bigger the image, the better it would look on a magazine cover, with the ideal size being 7MB or larger. 

Deadline: February 6. 

Submit photos using the Show Off Your City submission form or mail a CD or flash drive to 222 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608.

Contact: Amy Spiezio, Editor, aspiezio@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x123.

NJ Municipalities Blog: Union Township Supports National Human Trafficking Awareness Month

The NJ Municipalities blog focuses this week on Union Township (Union) and its Police Department as they step up to prevent human trafficking with special awareness-building efforts this month.

Want to share your local story? Please send in your 300- to 1,000-word items and photos to Editor Amy Spiezio at aspiezio@njlm.org.  

Contact: Amy Spiezio, Editor, aspiezio@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x123.

Celebrate Your Municipality During Local Government Week 2026

Please join municipalities across the Garden State for 2026 Local Government Week from April 12-18 to engage citizens while celebrating the work of local government.

Contacts: Amy Spiezio, Editor, aspiezio@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x123, or Taran Samhammer, tsamhammer@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x124.

Advertiser Spotlight

View Newsletter Archives

Follow NJLM: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - YouTube