COPS Hiring, NJ Welfare, Water – Friday’s Roundup

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COPS Hiring
A U.S. Department of Justice program that paid for police officers in South Jersey and elsewhere could be cut under a new U.S. House bill, Route Fifty reports. Three new officers in Hamilton Township were hired under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program last year. Other South Jersey police forces including in Asbury Park and Camden would also be affected if the cuts go through. Details on the program via this Department of Justice page.

NJ Welfare
When would you guess benefits last increased under New Jersey’s welfare program? It’s been three decades: The ‘Benefits for Work First New Jersey’ program was last increased in 1987.  Advocates, concerned by federal cuts to the social safety net, are pushing Gov. Christie to sign legislation that would boost the benefits. NJSpotlight has the details on the legislation. More than 1,000 families in Atlantic County receive are enrolled in the program and more than 2,000 families are enrolled in Camden County.

Sunrise in Brigantine, captured by Connie Pyatt.

Water
Food & Water Watch yesterday criticized plans for talks on combining the Atlantic County Utilities Authority and the Atlantic City water authority. “This wouldn’t be in the interests of ACUA’s or ACMUA’s ratepayers. ACUA would have to pay a large upfront and/or recurring concession fees to lease the assets and would have to recoup this money by hiking water rates,” wrote regional organizer Lena Smith. Read more here.

In the rest of today’s headlines, Guadagno visited EHT yesterday and touted a property-tax reform plan, here’s a fascinating interactive map looking at the income of hispanic populations in the state (via NJSpotlight), the Inquirer takes a look at what it calls South Jersey’s “retro” swimming lakes, Christie vetoed a bill aimed at blocking Trump’s travel ban, and the Law Journal covers a ruling related to affordable housing decisions made by a judge with ties to developer Jack Morris. All that and more below:

 

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