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External Documents >> Municipal Governance >> MRERA
Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act
Updated 10/16/07
The Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act (MRERA) restructured Camden's governance and created a five-year recovery period in which the City would be run by a Chief Operating Officer. The initial legislation was enacted in July 2002. Following several lawsuits, MRERA was amended in December 2002. MRERA also included $175 million in funds for capital projects to be administered by a State Economic Recovery Board.
On June 21, 2007, the State Legislature approved legislation (Bill A4129) that would extend state oversight and the term of the Chief Operating Officer, but not provide additional funding for projects in Camden. However, the City would continue to receive special state aid to balance its operating budget. According to the Assembly Budget Committee:
as a result of extending the rehabilitation term, the city’s municipal purposes tax rate remains limited by law (subsection a. of Section 27 of P.L. 2003, c.75) to that rate which was established in the year during which rehabilitation took effect. As a consequence, the requirement that the State annually rehabilitation aid in sufficient amount to assure a balanced city budget within this tax rate restriction (subsection a. of section 73 of P.L. 2003, c.75) is extended for an additional five years. The amount of additional State aid that will result cannot be estimated due to the variety and unpredictable nature of the factors that affect the city’s tax rate.
On September 16, 2007, Governor Corzine signed this legislation extending MRERA, and the Governor appointed Judge Theodore Davis as the permanent COO.
Text of Legislation
<A4129> Reported by Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee, June 14, 2007. Reported out of Assembly Budget Committee, 2nd Reading, June 18, 2007. S3006 was substituted for A4129 on June 21, 2007. S3006 was approved by the NJ Senate, 34-1, and by the Assembly, 53-25-1. The Bill was signed by Governor Corzine on September 16, 2007.
Note: This is an unofficial listing of the legislation that is intended for use as a community resource. Please refer to the State of New Jersey website for an official version of current statutes (see C.52:27BBB) .
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Joint Assembly Housing and Local Government and Senate Community and Urban Affairs Hearing
Trenton, NJ
January 30, 2007
This hearing was required under the Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act (MRERA) in response to the Progress Report submitted in December 2006 by the former Chief Operating Officer, Randy Primas.
Hearing Transcript from NJ Legislature - includes comments of Mayor Faison and former COO Randy Primas and legislative questioning of these individuals. Does not include written testimony submitted to the Legislature by CAMConnect and others (Posted 3/1/07)
Streaming Windows Media Audio File from January 30 Hearing (from State Legislature website) - (Posted 1/30/07)
The numbers below represent the approximate time on the audio file that each of these individuals began speaking. Where written testimony is available from these individuals, a link is included.
0:05:00 - Gwendolyn Faison, Mayor of Camden
0:09:55 - Randy Primas, former Chief Operating Officer
0:35:30 - Questions from the committee for Randy Primas
1:42:00 - Roger Dennis, Rutgers-Camden
1:57:30 - Peter O'Connor, Fair Share Housing Development, Inc.
2:11:10 - Louis Bezich, Higher Education and Healthcare Taskforce
2:30:00 - John Sheridan, Cooper University Hospital
2:44:30 - Raymond Yannuzzi, Camden County College
2:58:20 - Liza Nolan, Camden Community Development Association
3:05:15 - Howard Gillette, professor and author, Camden After the Fall
3:13:00 - Anthony Perno, Coopers Ferry Development Association
3:31:30 - Sean M. Brown
3:39:55 - Morris Smith, representing South Jersey Port Corporation
4:02:15 - Frank Fulbrook
4:17:00 - Mark Lonetto, CCMUA
4:18:50 - Scot McCray
4:24:50 - Roy Jones
Submitted written testimony but did not attend hearing:
Derek Ziegler, CAMConnect
Rev. Willie Anderson / Msgr. Robert McDermott, CCOP
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