Author: Web Site Administrator

As part of the 2023 Chairman Initiatives, “Building a Stronger Union County,” the Union County Board of County Commissioners, are pleased to announce that a series of four informational sessions will be held for residents who wish to file a property tax appeal. The new, first-of-its-kind program is designed assist in navigating the appeal process without incurring unnecessary attorney fees, as part of Union County’s commitment to support long-term housing security.

“Taking care of our residents is something that our Commissioner Board strives to do and we believe that everyone can use assistance, especially when living costs are on the rise,” said Union County Commissioner Chairman Sergio Granados. “These workshops, that include both information and filing assistance, will help ensure that people can access information on their property and possibly reduce their property taxes by appealing, all while Union County is covering the costs of the filing fee for those qualifying seniors and veterans who attend. Together, we continue to prioritize our efforts to strengthen the programs and services offered to our residents, while maintaining our strong financial footing – because we know that every dollar counts.”

The sessions will be conducted by staff attorneys with the Union County Office of the County Counsel. Attendees will learn how to file an appeal without an attorney; get assistance in completing the appeals application; and get help navigating online resources to obtain recent sales comparisons.

The sessions are free but registration is required in advance at www.ucnj.org/taworkshop. Please call Union County at 908-527-4182, if any additional assistance with registration is needed.

Any eligible Union County property owners can attend any of the following sessions:

• Rahway: Tuesday, February 28 at the Rahway Community Center, 275 East Milton Avenue, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
• Elizabeth: Saturday, March 4 at the Elizabeth Public Library, 11 South Broad Street, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
• Roselle: Thursday, March 9 at Union County’s Warinanco Sports Center, 1 Park Drive in Warinanco Park, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
• Plainfield: Tuesday, March 14 at the Plainfield Public Library, 800 Park Avenue, 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

Seniors and Veterans eligibility for a property tax waiver is based on the following qualifications:

• Must be a Union County resident
• Must be 62 years old or older, or a U.S. veteran honorably discharged from the military
• Must be the property owner of record with annual household income not greater than $65,000
• The tax assessed value of the home must not be greater than $399,000.

Union County will cover the filing fee for qualifying seniors and veterans who attend an information session. The fee is $5.00 for homes assessed up to $150,000 and $25.000 for homes assessed up to $399,000.

Kean University and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office invite you to join them for a joint law enforcement recruitment event on March 8th at the STEM Building at Kean at their Union Township campus. Attendees should bring copies of their resumes. Parking is available behind the STEM building. Please email lsacca@ucnj.org with any questions.

On Wednesday, January 25, 2023, The Union County Board of County Commissioners through our Department of Human Services kicked off our annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count and Survey of the Homeless population throughout the cities in our jurisdiction.

The PIT, also known as NJCounts, takes place every January and asks for a count of unsheltered and sheltered individuals experiencing homelessness. This program ran through Tuesday, January 31st, is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and for the tenth year, Monarch Housing Associates coordinates the statewide effort, along with Continuums of Care.

“The Point-In-Time Count is an important initiative that gives our Department of Human Services a more accurate count of persons experiencing homelessness and gathering information on what resources are needed, “said Commissioner Chairman Sergio Granados, who also serves as liaison to the Human Services Advisory Council. “At the end of the day, these individuals are members of our community and understanding the scope of homelessness in our County is vital. It also helps us assess what caused them to become homeless; how long they have been on the streets and what is preventing them from becoming or staying housed and most importantly providing them with the resources to get out of homelessness.”

In 2022, due to the effects of the pandemic, Union County altered how they conducted the count versus previous years. Teams of Union County staff, government officials and local nonprofit organizations banded together in smaller groups of 4-6 people during a seven (7) day period in the morning, afternoon and late evening hours. Smaller groups surveyed people throughout the County who “sleep outdoors, in parks, alleys, under bridges, or places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, abandoned buildings, garages, or other structures without electricity or water.”

For the 2023 unsheltered count, which took place at 3:00 a.m. on January 25th, thirty three (33) volunteers gathered at Social Services in Elizabeth and Plainfield and surveyed the areas of Elizabeth, Plainfield, Summit, Roselle, Roselle Park, Garwood, Linden, Rahway, Hillside and Union. The five groups that went identified fourteen (14) unsheltered homeless persons that were further assessed for services at the Union County DHS/Division of Social Services office. Over 200 adults and children were provided shelter through the County’s Code Blue program. The group also provided materials for the homeless, including blankets, coats, clothing, toiletries, socks, hats, gloves, sandwiches, provided by Be the Change from Kean University, scarves, soup, provided by Mo’s Café and hot coffee.

On Wednesday, January 25th and Thursday, January 26th, service fairs were held by the City of Plainfield and the Plainfield Action Services at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center and the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless at the Mickey Walker Center in Elizabeth. Plainfield’s service fair had a total of sixty-one (61) persons in attendance and Elizabeth’s service fair had a total of two-hundred and seven-nine (279) persons in attendance. Both service fairs offered resources from over eighteen (18) social service providers. The Union County Office of Health Management also provided forty-three (43) individuals with the COVID-19 vaccination; of which sixteen (16) of them either received their first dose or completed their primary series. All forty-three (43) persons received a gift card from NJDOH for $25.

During the seven (7) day count, which took place from January 25 through January 31, 2023, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily, a total of five (5) groups, representing a total of sixteen (16) volunteers went out to survey the homeless throughout Union County in: Elizabeth, Plainfield, Summit, Roselle, Roselle Park, Garwood, Linden, Rahway, Hillside and Union. The five groups that went identified twenty-four (24) homeless persons.

The data collected during NJCounts also helps determine how much McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance HUD funding Union County will receive and provides crucial resources for the homeless and housing insecure living in Union County.

• DEPARTMENT:  PUBLIC SAFETY
• TITLE OF POSITION:   HEALTH OFFICER
• DESCRIPTION OF POSITION: Under direction, recommends local public health policies; plans, develops, coordinates, & directs the work program of a municipal health department or agency & directs the enforcement of public health within the municipality concerned; does related work as required.
• EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION:  Possession of a valid Health Officer License issued by the NJ Department of Health.
• SALARY RANGE:  $86,499 –  $135,155
• PRINT NAME: Andrew F. Moran                         
• TITLE:  Director, Department of Public Safety
• INTERESTED APPLICANTS MAY CONTACT THE DEPT. OF  PUBLIC SAFETY @   908-518-5640
• UNION COUNTY IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/ EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
• UNION COUNTY RESIDENCY REQUIRED

Beginning March 1, SNAP households will see change in monthly benefit amounts

Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman today announced that beginning in March, all households eligible for the NJ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive a minimum $50 monthly benefit following the end of federal SNAP emergency allotments in February. Throughout the COVID‐19 pandemic, SNAP households have benefited from emergency allotments from the federal government, which provided households with higher monthly food assistance benefits and totaled more than $2 billion.  Starting in March, SNAP households will only get their regular SNAP payment loaded to their EBT card.

Recognizing the challenges families continue to face affording healthy and nutritious food and groceries, Governor Murphy signed legislation in June to establish the State SNAP Minimum Benefit Program and to set a SNAP minimum benefit ensuring all SNAP recipients will receive at least $50 per month in assistance now that the federal emergency allotments are ending. New Jersey is the first state to set a minimum benefit, which required an $18 million investment in state funds.

“We are immensely grateful to Governor Murphy, Speaker Coughlin and the legislature for providing this critical funding to help New Jerseyans with the rising cost of groceries as federal SNAP emergency allotments come to an end nationwide. We understood the extra SNAP benefits were temporary, but we also recognize the impact this will have on New Jerseyans who have benefitted from greater assistance over the last three years. I urge SNAP households to check their benefits, so they are prepared before heading to the grocery store. Those that need additional assistance can visit nj211.org to learn about other available resources,” said Commissioner Adelman.

SNAP emergency allotments were authorized by the U.S. Congress beginning in March 2020 to help individuals and families with low‐incomes deal with the hardships of the COVID‐19 pandemic. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 recently signed by President Biden ends SNAP emergency

allotments on February 28, 2023. This means that, by March 2023, benefits for all SNAP households in New Jersey will return to normal amounts. 

 “We are working with stakeholders to raise awareness about these changes and ensure SNAP

households are informed and know ahead of time what their monthly benefit will be starting in March, so they can budget accordingly. While it does not replace the extra emergency benefits, the new $50 minimum benefit means no one eligible for SNAP will receive less than $50 in food benefits,” said Deputy Commissioner of Social Services Elisa Neira. 

Under the new minimum benefit program, if a SNAP household was approved for less than $50 in SNAP benefits ($23 is the minimum federal SNAP benefit), they will receive their regular monthly benefit plus an additional state supplement to bring them to $50.

For example, if a single‐person household was determined eligible for $23, they will receive their regular monthly benefit of $23 and an additional state supplement of $27 to bring them to $50.

“New Jersey’s policies that advance food security are some of the strongest in the country thanks to

Governor Murphy, Speaker Coughlin and the Legislature.,” said Director of the Office of the Food Security Advocate Mark Dinglasan. “These policies will matter even more as federal SNAP emergency allotments come to an end.  We will continue to work together to ensure individuals and families are equipped with the information and resources they need to navigate the changes ahead.”

The Department will mail notices in February to all SNAP households advising them of the benefit reduction along with a reminder of their regular benefit amount resuming in March. 

The Department has also developed materials in multiple languages about the end of the SNAP emergency allotments and what it means for SNAP households, as part of its public awareness campaign. Materials are available for download at NJSNAP.gov

“The notice will indicate the household’s regular benefit so recipients will know what their benefit will be starting March 1. We encourage SNAP recipients to also check their benefit detail any time online at www.njfamiliesfirst.com, with the Connect EBT mobile app or by calling (800) 997‐3333,” said Assistant Commissioner Natasha Johnson, who directs Human Services’ Division of Family Development, which is responsible for the SNAP program. 

Currently, the benefit detail indicates their regular benefit and the extra emergency benefit separately. SNAP recipients who remain eligible for the program will only receive their regular benefit of at least $50 beginning in March. 

SNAP recipients worried about the overall reduction in benefits should check their eligibility for other

food assistance programs including WIC for women and children under 5, free or reduced school meals, or the commodity supplemental food program for older adults over 60 years of age. For more information about additional food resources, visit nj211.org/food‐programs‐and‐community‐resources or text your zip code to 898211.

As of November 2022, there were approximately 769,000 individuals enrolled in SNAP from 397,000 households.

SNAP Recipients as of November 2022

The Department will continue to update SNAP households about any changes to their monthly benefits.

Individuals and families can apply for SNAP online, in‐person or by calling their local board of social

services, or through a SNAP Navigator. For more information about SNAP, visit NJSNAP.gov.

The Murphy Administration has made fighting hunger and strengthening food security a top priority. The NJ Department of Human Services last year distributed more than $2 billion in additional monthly SNAP payments to help low‐income families afford food and other essentials.  The Department has also modernized the SNAP application and expanded SNAP navigators in every county as part of a broader effort to make SNAP more accessible to all New Jerseyans facing hunger.