Little Egg Harbor Fire Co. agrees to adhere to Meetings Act

PRESS RELEASE June 11, 2016   The New Jersey Foundation for Open Government (NJFOG) secured a court consent order on May 31 against the Little Egg Harbor Fire District #3 that requires the Board of Fire Commissioners to follow provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). NJFOG filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) Read More …

NJ Supreme Court to consider whether Fire Cos. are subject to OPRA

The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case in which the Appellate Division held that Millstone Valley Fire Department is an “instrumentality” of the Franklin Fire District #1 (Somerset County) and is therefore a “public agency” subject to the Open Public Records Act.   RELATED POST: Appellate Court: Volunteer Fire Company is Read More …

CASE SUMMARY: NJFOG v. Little Egg Harbor Fire District #3

  Case Name:  NJFOG v. Little Egg Harbor Fire District #3 Docket Number: OCN-L-714-16 County / Vicinage:  Ocean Filing Date:  February 23, 2016 Presiding Judge:  Lynch Ford, Marlene Status:  closed   Overview: The complaint alleges violations of the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). After filing the lawsuit, NJFOG discovered various Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) Read More …

Fire department has responsibility to town

This editorial concerns disclosure of a fire company’s revenues, including those from independent sources. Courts have exclusively held that volunteer fire companies are “public agencies” under OPRA, thus their revenues should be part of required financial reporting that allows towns to better appropriate tax dollars. -NJFOG   SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR Read More …