City scores 43 out of 50 on Best Practices checklist
Will likely receive 100% of state aid
The city scored 43 out of 50 on the state’s 2012 Best Practices checklist, said acting finance director Christine Paulin at the Oct. 3 council meeting. This likely ensures the city will receive 100 percent of its state aid.
The city submitted its checklist to the state Department of Community Affairs [DCA] on Sept. 25, Paulin said.
The 565 municipalities that receive state aid have been required to complete Best Practices checklists since 2010, when Governor Chris Christie first instituted the program. Last year, municipalities answering 41 to 50 questions with yes, prospective or not applicable received 100 percent of state aid, with no penalty.
Credit is given for all yes and prospective answers, as well as not applicable if it is appropriate based on an accompanying written explanation, according to the release. A prospective answer means a municipality is taking steps to enact a certain practice, so those answers are not credited if the city responds with prospective two years in a row.
Municipalities scoring 33 to 40 last year received 80 percent, while those scoring 25 to 32 received 60 percent of aid, and so on. Municipalities scoring 0 to 8 received no state aid.
The Christie Administration issued the 2012 Best Practices checklist on Aug. 27, according to a prepared release from the DCA. The list this year included a mix of new and repeated questions, “all of which are aimed at encouraging local governments to budget within their means and eliminate waste, abuse and fraud,” according to the release.
Credit is given for all yes and prospective answers, as well as not applicable if it is appropriate based on an accompanying written explanation, according to the release. A prospective answer means a municipality is taking steps to enact a certain practice, so those answers are not credited if the city responds with prospective two years in a row.
