Program Descriptions

A Day in the Life of a Municipal Clerk will review the history/role, local government, office of the municipal clerk, secretary to the governing body and many miscellaneous duties.

Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) for NJ Municipalities mastering the (AI) machine goes beyond the basics and focuses on precision prompting & strategic workflow integration when using (AI).

Advanced Licensing and Permits includes general licenses such as: authority to license, activities which may be licensed, fees and penalties. Dog licenses such as: licensing of dogs, licenses, fees, NJ state fees.  Legalized games of chance control commission such as: general information, registration and identification, applications, fees, license issuance, player age limitation, frequency of games, prohibited prizes, reports of operations, annual report by municipality, and types of raffles.  Certification of insurance for: limousines, taxicabs, autobuses/jitneys.

Alcohol Beverage Control Process program will cover: the ABC challenges, types of licensing/permits, municipal role in licensing/enforcement, background investigation of license/transfer, permits-online process, retail compliance inspections, common violations, disciplinary process, human trafficking awareness, contact information for the Division of ABC.

Answering Questions Related to Annual Tax Sales and In Rem Foreclosures program will review questions related to the annual tax sale and in rem foreclosures and learn how various accounts are impacted by the annual tax sale and in rem foreclosures.

Appropriation CAPS and Tax Levy CAPS is designed to help you develop an understanding about the Appropriate CAP and Tax Levy CAP calculations, learn what is included and is not included for both CAP calculations, learn similarities and differences between both CAP calculations and analyze how the CAP calculations can be utilized as policy tools for municipalities.

Basics of Public Procurement will cover administrative and financial responsibilities, centralized vs decentralized purchasing, thresholds (quotes, pay-to-play), bids, green purchasing, P-Cards.

Being Productive with Microsoft Excel will help you establish a foundation for understanding Excel. Teach essentials techniques for organizing and managing data.  Introduce tools and techniques for analyzing data effectively.  Demonstrate Excel’s advanced capabilities for automation.  Explore Excel tools tailored for administrative efficiency.

Budgeting for Success is designed to help you develop an understanding where to find and how to calculate a Tax Point as well as Current Year Tax Collection Rate and Reserve for Uncollected Taxes, Amount to be raised by Taxation and Delinquent Taxes Collection Rate, and Receipts from Delinquent Taxes.

Conducting a Challenging Conversation will cover techniquesto help prepare you for those difficult conversations.  It discusses tips, and methods of how to prepare yourself for the conflict and stress these conversations may cause.

Creating a Motivating Environment will help explain key motivation concepts, assess current environments, build a positive culture, adapt to individual differences, and measure and improve motivation.

Cybersecurity and Communications will help you to know the enemy Malware/Spyware/Spam/Scams/Virus. Will help you to: create an acceptable user policy and enforce it, have strong password control strategy, keep your network up to date, backup and recovery controls.

Cybersecurity and Digital Safety for Municipal Staff will help equip municipal employees with practical cybersecurity awareness, safe digital practices, and strategies for protecting sensitive resident and government data.

Dealing with Difficult Behaviors will help you to identify behaviors you find difficult, understand what difficult behavior is and why people demonstrate difficult behavior, identify common forms of difficult behavior, discuss how difficult behaviors cause conflict in the workplace and provide you with tips for dealing with difficult behavior.

Defining Public Records program will cover how you manage records, Destruction of Public Records Act (NJSA 47:3-15), NJ agencies involved in records management, OPRA, websites/internet presence.

Elections: Different Shapes and Sizes will review: what does your election day look like, list of elections, the different levels of government involved with elections, and national voter registration act.

Electronic Filing Systems program includes purposes and benefits of electronic filing systems, review of government approved electronic filing systems, developing a filing system, process and security strategy, options for categorizing, storing, sharing and retrieval of documents, tips for organizing files, folders and subfolders, file naming conventions, sharing and viewing files, storing and retrieving files and backing up files.

Energizing Your Workforce is designed to focus on the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to meet the challenges of developing andmaintaining a positive work environment. It will include tips, activities, and self-evaluations.

Engaged Employees Create Successful Municipalities is designed to provide municipal leaders with the tools and tips to develop and maintain an engaged workforce.  An engaged workforce demonstrates high employee morale, enhanced productivity, and increased retention.

Ethics: Doing the Right Thing When no one is Watching is designed to address the everyday ethical issues that municipal employees face during their workday.  While most municipal employees are honest and ethical, this program will help to remind everyone of what is appropriate and inappropriate, as well as what is legal and illegal.

Ethics for Municipal Leaders program includes current ethical challenges, review ethics standards, methods for building trust with the public, overview of key principles of ethical conduct and provides tips for ensuring an ethical workplace.

Establishing an Effective Working Relationship Between the Tax Assessor and Tax Collector will review how the Tax Assessor and Tax Collector can work together for the benefit of the property taxpayer.

Green Purchasing: A Change in the Policy-Making Process you will learn how to overcome the challenges related to green purchasing. Determine how to prepare green purchasing policy making statements. Understand how to measure the success for green purchasing decisions

How Does the Reporting, Billing and Collection Responsibilities for Tax Collectors Impact the Community’s Financial Position willreview the Reporting, Billing, and Collection Responsibilities for Tax Collectors and learn how these responsibilities impact the financial position for a community.

Information Management Systems: What’s the Point?  You will learn new technology and recognize areas in need of revitalization which will help overcome resistance to change. Some common arears include:  OPRA’s, permit/license applications – building, community, health, complaints, reservations, filing/retention of records, community input.

Integrity and Management of the NJ Election Process addresses the critical role that the Municipal Clerk plays, as well as how to deal with the multitude of issues associated with the election process in New Jersey.

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence for NJ Municipalities will equip participants with a clear understanding of AI, its applications within their role, potential risks, and practical tips for effective AI usage.

Keeping Track of Everything Before a Disaster Occurs (Records) is designed to help you identify the most effective methods for safeguarding records and ensuring the integrity of all documents. You will learn how to manage, and store you records as well as ensure they are protected from theft, fire and natural disaster.

Leadership Competencies includes a discussion on management vs. leadership and why leadership is important in Municipal Government.  The program also reviews key Leadership Competencies such as communication, knowledge and credibility as well as motivating and encouraging staff to help them achieve success.

Leadership Traits for Municipal Employees is designed to discuss the challenges of leadership and some of the important leadership traits you can demonstrate.

Licensing Essentials for Municipal Clerks will review the following: general licenses, dog licenses, alcoholic beverage licenses, legalized games of chance control commission and certification of insurance-limousines, taxicabs, autobuses/jitneys.

Licensing in NJ includes the overview of license-able activities in NJ, pets/animals, legalized games of chance control commission (LGCCC, raffles/bingos), liveries/taxis, alcohol, cannabis and other miscellaneous items.

Managing Elections: Smoothly, Fairly and Effectively will cover the following topics: list of elections and types, registration of voters, National Voter Registration Act, Voting, polling locations, candidate requirements, ballot content, chronological index for elections, election day duties.

Managing Meetings is designed to provide you with methods and skills to maximize your use of facilitating meetings and being an active participant within your organization.  This will help you to enhance the productivity and timeliness of the meetings you attend or facilitate and gain greater buy-in from the participants and make every meeting a successful one.

Managing Stress in the Municipal Environment will identify common causes of stress, as well as help you identify what causes you stress in the workplace and provide effective methods for responding to stress.

Managing the New Jersey Election Process includes list of elections and types, registration of voters, National Voter Registration Act, voting, polling locations, candidate requirements, ballot content, chronological index for elections and Election Day duties.

Memory Switch will help you to boost confidence and make a powerful first impression by remembering names, faces, and key information. Will also help you to remember important information from meetings, to-do-lists and written materials, which will help to reduce stress and improve time management.

Municipal Clerk Duties:  The Whole Story includes certificate as to liability for assessment for municipal improvements, protected tenancy act/condo conversion (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61-22 et seq.), landlord registration (N.J.S.A. 46:8-26 et seq.), bonds of officials and employees, NJ tort claims act (N.J.S.A. 59:8 et seq.), local government ethics law (N.J.S.A. 40A: 9-22.1 et seq.), off-site conditions disclosure act, pension fund duties, public employment relations commission (N.J.S.A. 34:13A-1 et seq.), affirmative  action/public agency compliance officer, volunteer fire companies/rescue squads (N.J.S.A. 13:12-1.1), blood borne pathogens program, sale/lease of municipal owned land/property, uniform construction code – disclosure statements (N.J.S.A. 5:23-4.5(j)), NJ worker and community right to know act regulations, acquisition of lands and buildings (N.J.S.A. 40A:12-3 et seq.), mortgage stabilization and relief act (P.L. 2008, c.127) 9/15/10, foreclosed properties 9/15/12.

Municipal Communication for Success this program includes: identifying and reducing challenges when communicating, evaluating your communication style, methods for effective listening, awareness of the effects of non-verbal communications, proper use of empathy, and list of words and phrases to utilize and avoid.

Municipal Ethics Awareness this program defines ethics and helps you to identify ethical challenges you are facing, reviews the key principles of Ethical Conduct, reviews recent statistics on ethical situations in New Jersey, identify causes of Ethical lapses in judgment, learn methods for building trust with the general public as well as tips for maintaining ethical behavior.

Overview of Municipal Licensing in NJ this program includes: General Licensing, Raffles, Bingo, Raffle Application process, Limousines, Taxicabs, Autobuses/Jitneys, Dog Licenses, Alcoholic Beverage Licenses, and various types of Licenses.

Property Tax Sales this program includes:property tax sales, simulated property tax sale, third party vs. municipal liens, foreclosure process and reserve for uncollected taxes.

Proposed Legislation Impacting Seniors and Disabled Vets will help you realize how proposed legislation could affect the activities for the tax collector’s office. Determine who would benefit from the proposed legislation and learn how municipalities would be impacted by the proposed legislation.

Providing Exceptional Customer Service this program includes: identifying the benefits and challenges of providing exceptional service, describing moments of truth, identifying the importance of professional image and telephone etiquette, creating a positive first impression, maintaining a positive attitude, identifying customer supplier link and your internal customers, and identifying best practices for creating and maintaining a service environment within your municipality.

Recording Minutes and Meetings Effectively will cover: the nature of public records—the common law & OPRA, public session meeting minutes, Robert’s Rules of Order, local ordinances and/or resolutions, local policy, executive session and closed meeting minutes, the rules regarding going into closed session, creating executive session/closed session minutes, helpful procedural rules to run an efficient meeting.

Records Management & Open Public Records Act (OPRA) includes: Destruction of Public Records Act (NJSA 47:3-15), NJ Agencies involved in records management, objective of the records management process, definitions of the record management process (records series, inventory and retention schedule), Open Public Records Act including: legislative findings (NJSA 47:1A-1), definitions, records that are exempt from disclosure, access availability, request for public records, responding to an OPRA request, medium conversion, copying cost, special service charge, redactions to public records, denial of record appeal notice, appeal process, government records council, violations, penalties, disciplinary proceeding, and website requirements (P.L. 2011, c.167)

Refresher on Municipal Finances this program includes: budgeting revenue administration, appropriation and budget preparation techniques and budgeting for capital needs with a look at State supervision.

Respecting The Individual: Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Municipal Government includes: updating policies against sexual harassment, identifying different types of harassment that can occur within the workplace, differentiating between situations that constitute harassment and those that do not, and a discussion of the role of the supervisor/manager in preventing sexual harassment.

Snapshot on Reading the Annual Audit includes: structure of the Annual Audit, Independent Auditors’ Report, sequence of schedules, notes to financial statements, single audit and supplementary schedules for current, trust, general capital and utility funds.

Strengthening Municipal Communication is designed to provide participants with the skills and tools necessary to be an effective communicator in every situation.  It focuses on individual styles, proven approaches, the value of listening, and how to gear your communication to a specific stakeholder audience. 

Successful Workplace Communications addresses the importance of communication, methods for communicating effectively, knowing your audience, the importance of internal communications as well as a host of other critical communication skills.

The ABC’s of Retail Licensing includes alcoholic beverage control, renewals, review and timely filing of applications, dealing with transfers place to place and person to person as well as other license changes.

The Power to License will cover: general licenses, dog licenses, alcoholic beverage control, legalized games of chance, certification of insurance, limousines, taxi cabs and autobuses/jitneys.

Understanding the Open Public Record Act (OPRA) will reviewdestruction of public records act, NJ agencies involved in records management, objectives and definitions of the records management process, open public records act and website requirement.

Working Through Common Issues at the Hub of the Municipality will cover: municipal clerk functions, records/storage, what must we keep?, ARTEMIS, OPRA, elections, municipal clerk relationships, vendors, community member/stakeholders and governing body members.

Working with Generation X, Y, Z will Identify the Characteristics of Generations X, Y, and Z. Recognize the specific needs of each generation. Develop techniques for communicating and working across generations.

Working with your Municipal Alcohol Board will cover: what is the local ABC Board, municipal clerk role, investigations, self-inspections, code enforcements, justice.