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Committee releases bill to authorize regional economic development partnerships; DCA raised transparency concerns
Summary
S-2099, authorizing regional economic development partnerships, was released by the committee with broad industry support; Department of Community Affairs (DCA) raised concerns about transparency and potential conflicts, the sponsor said those would be addressed in further discussions.
The committee released S-2099, which authorizes the establishment of regional economic development partnerships intended to foster coordinated planning, redevelopment and affordable-housing initiatives across municipal boundaries.
Several business organizations registered support and did not testify, including the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey Apartment Association and the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey. Chris Semienals, head of government affairs for the Building Industry Association, told the committee the association supports regional collaboration to promote coordinated planning and cost savings: "We salute this, and we want more bills like this to look into how we can actually do things like this," Semienals said.
Sponsor Senator Schappizzi acknowledged that the Department of Community Affairs provided last-minute objections, saying DCA staff flagged concerns that the partnerships might reduce transparency, accountability and could create potential ethical conflicts when public and private entities collaborate. The sponsor described the bill as a way to encourage local units to collaborate on planning and service delivery and said he hopes to work with DCA to address its concerns. The committee amended and released the bill.
