Oceanport's Governing Body Receives a High Score With Best Practices

At last night’s town meeting, Oceanport’s Mayor Michael J. Mahon announced that his governing body scored a 94 percent on the Best Practices Inventory Questionnaire for State Fiscal Year 2012. What this means is that Oceanport will be entitled to 100 percent of their final aid payment.

Kimberly A. Jungfer, Oceanport’s Borough Clerk, indicated that when all is said and done, the score may end up being higher. To understand how this may be, one has to understand the nature of this form.

This is the second year that this controversial form has been in existence. It was created by the N.J. Department of Community Affairs Division of Local Government, and last year, when it was first introduced, the questionnaire contained more than 80 questions. This year, it was trimmed down to 50 questions.

In a time where micromanagement is popular within many industries, this form created an uproar with many town clerks when it was first introduced. So much so that many of the comments that were included with the form were printed in the Asbury Park Press.

Each municipality is rated by the number of questions that receive a “yes” answer. If the question is not applicable to your town, you must include a valid explanation in order for it to count in your favor. The penalties are harsher this year. Scoring an 80 percent or less will result in a percentage, based on a sliding scale, of your aid being reduced.

For a more detailed explanation, visit www.nj.gov/dca/lgs/lfns/11lfns/2011-18.doc .

The last part of the process took place at the meeting as Jungfer certified that it was shown to each member of the governing body.