Bill > S1202

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Office of Information Technology and the State Treasurer, to establish a mechanism by which a municipality may transmit property tax bills, construction permits, and receipts for payment of municipal fees and charges via e-mail. A municipality wishing to utilize electronic delivery of these records must adopt an ordinance authorizing the use of e-mail as a permitted means of delivery. The municipality may not require its residents to receive municipal correspondence via e-mail and must continue to provide hard copies though regular mail to any taxpayer, applicant, or fee payer who does not request electronic delivery. This bill would serve to provide a municipality with greater budget flexibility by eliminating unnecessary mailing expenses. In the private sector it is now common for bills and proof of payment to be sent via e-mail, thus eliminating the need for these items to be sent through the mail. There are numerous advantages to receiving documents via the internet including faster delivery time, saving on bulk mailing costs, and the environmental benefits of conserving paper. It is the sponsor's intent that this bill represent one of the first steps in modernizing the way municipal government in New Jersey operates and results in significant savings which can then be passed on to the local property tax payer.

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Anthony Bucco (R)*,  Jennifer Beck (R),  Brian Stack (D), 

Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee (on 12/15/2016)