MORRIS COUNTY — Surrogate Heather J. Darling, Esq. was named Vice President of the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey (COANJ). After completing her term as Secretary of COANJ and Section Chief of the Surrogate’s, Surrogate Darling was nominated and elected to the new position by the organization and took the oath as Vice President at the Annual Conference held in Atlantic City.

COANJ is the formal organization of New Jersey Sheriffs, County Clerks, Surrogates and Registers of Deeds and Mortgages elected directly by the people of each of the 21 New Jersey counties.

“It is an honor to have been selected as Vice President by my peers in the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. I enjoyed my time as secretary and look forward to taking on the challenges of the position of Vice President as I assist newly elected President Sheriff Michael Mastronardy in his leadership of the Sheriffs, Clerks, Registers and Surrogates of the State of New Jersey,” said Surrogate Darling.

Darling went on to say, “I was proud to serve as the Surrogates Section Chief for the past term and the two-day Surrogates program we put together and held at the annual conference was challenging and productive. I pass the torch to my successor Middlesex County Surrogate Claribel Cortes.” In Surrogate Darling’s words to Surrogate Cortes, she congratulated Cortes on her new position and emphasized how confident she is that Surrogate Cortes will continue to lead the Surrogates in taking on a more active role in improving their association and the way business is done with their offices.

COANJ organized in 1920 and its members work in cooperation to improve services rendered to their respective counties. COANJ members meet regularly on matters of importance relating to the management of their offices; to provide feedback for legislation in relation to the conduct of all the statutory requirements and duties relating to the offices of the Sheriffs, County Clerks, Surrogates and Registers of Deeds and Mortgages in the State of New Jersey and to encourage and maintain high standards of service. Surrogate Darling congratulates outgoing President Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon for her leadership this past term. “I appreciate the time and effort it takes to steward a statewide organization and I thank those who have served. I look forward to working with COANJ’s new President Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy; new Secretary Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter; and Treasurer Cape May County Surrogate Dean Marcolongo,” said Surrogate Darling.

For more information on the Morris County Surrogate click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sergeant Patrick LaGuerre and Detective Larry Krajc of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office participated in the Seton Hall University Career Fair.

The fair, which was held on September 15, 2022, attracted numerous students and others who interacted with many potential future employers representing various professional fields.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office continues to actively search for diverse, quality candidates to join the office.

Information on applying for positions with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office can be found by clicking here.

PARSIPPANY — The Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority (MCMUA) will conduct a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal event on Saturday, September 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy, 500 West Hanover Avenue, Parsippany.

Morris County residents will be able to drop off unwanted hazardous materials from their households. Businesses are not allowed to participate.

Reminder, electronic devices (e-waste) will no longer be accepted at MCMUA one-day household hazardous waste events. The authority advises residents to call (973) 829-8006 for information and to discuss recycling options.

Acceptable materials include: pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, oil-based paints, stains, paint thinners and removers, solvents, automotive fluids, rechargeable and button cell batteries, pool chemicals, darkroom chemicals, aerosol cans (not empty), propane cylinders, small quantities of asbestos (wetted, double bagged and sealed with duct tape), driveway sealant, roofing tar, fluorescent bulbs, PCB-ballasts, mercury thermometers and switches, household cleaning products, and muriatic acid.

Latex paint will not be accepted, nor will explosive or highly reactive materials, such as picric acid or nitro compounds. For information about safe disposal of explosive or reactive material.

There is a $5.00 fee for each barbeque-sized propane cylinder. Payment must be made by check only.

For more information, call (973) 829-8006 or click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Board approved a revision to the Main Street Micro Business Loan, removing the requirement for personal guarantees from owners of micro businesses.

The Main Street Micro Business Loan, which succeeds the Micro Business Loan Program established by the NJEDA in 2019, is offered as part of the Main Street Recovery Fund—a $150 million suite of products created or expanded under the Economic Recovery Act of 2020 (ERA), signed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2021. This pilot product will provide financing of up to $50,000 to eligible micro businesses in New Jersey whose annual gross revenues are $1,500,000 or less and have 10 or fewer full-time employees at the time of application and three months prior to the date of application.  The NJEDA will start accepting applications for the program on Thursday, October 6, at 10:00 a.m.

“The Main Street Micro Business Loan will be a tremendous asset for small businesses that are working hard to grow their footprint in the Garden State,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “Removing the barriers to capital for our state’s smallest businesses is another step toward achieving Governor Murphy’s vision for a stronger, fairer economy, as more micro business owners will now have access to the financing they need to create more family-sustaining jobs and economic opportunities.”

Eligible for-profit and nonprofit businesses registered to do business in New Jersey, including home-based businesses, can apply for financing from the $20 million in funds allocated from the Main Street Recovery Fund to cover future operating expenses only such as inventory, rent, payroll, equipment (that does not require installation or construction work totaling more than $1,999.99), or any other working capital expense to fund business operating expenses. The loan will have a standard 10-year term and the interest rate will be two percent, with no interest and no payments due for the first year.

The Main Street Micro Business Loan has a substantial forgivable component as it helps reduce the burden on micro business owners who already have limited access to capital. Under program rules, the borrower is required to make payments from year two to the end of year five. To qualify for loan forgiveness, the applicant must have made their loan payments as identified in their loan agreement with no delinquency of more than 90 days, have no current default, be able to certify that they have used the loan for approved purposes only, and that they are still open and operating as detailed in the loan agreement.

To ensure equitable and inclusive access to the Main Street Micro Business Loan, of the $20 million in total funding available, $8 million will be set aside to support eligible entities located in New Jersey Opportunity Zone-eligible census tracts.

Eligibility requirements for micro businesses interested in applying for this program include:

• Must have less than $1.5 million in annual gross revenue for the most current fiscal year (to the extent the business has annual revenues)
• Must have no more than 10 full-time employees at the time of application and three months prior to application
• Must be legally registered to do business in New Jersey, with a business location (including a home office) in New Jersey
• Must have been formed at least six months prior to the date of application.
• Must be in good standing with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection at the time of application
• Must provide a current tax clearance certificate prior to approval to demonstrate the applicant is in good standing with the NJ Division of Taxation

The Main Street Micro Business Loan will not require collateral, as the underwriting criteria will be based solely on credit score. Only not-profit organizations will need to be fully underwritten and required to meet a 1.0 debt service coverage ratio. For all other for-profit entities, at least one owner must have a credit score of 600 or greater to be considered eligible. Personal guarantees from owners or principals are not required.

Applications for the Main Street Micro Business Loan will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date/time at which the Authority receives the completed application. Past recipients of the Micro Business Loan Program are eligible to apply for the Main Street Micro Business Loan.  Due to the favorable terms of this product only one application per EIN is allowed.

The NJEDA will host an information session on the Main Street Micro Business Loan on Monday, September 26, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. To register for this online session, click here.

For more information on the Main Street Micro Business Loan and the application process click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County, state and local elected officials mingled today with leaders of the Interfaith Food Pantry Network, Family Promise of Morris County, the Morris County Continuum of Care, the Morris County Department of Human Services and many other service providers in the county’s first Community Resource Networking Event.

Held on the grounds of what is known as the Morris County Nonprofit Mall off Central Avenue in Parsippany Township, the gathering included approximately 30 Morris County government and nonprofit agencies that provide support services for most vulnerable residents in the community. The service providers help people in need of housing, healthcare, behavioral health, family services, food security, and much more.

“The goal of today is to provide an opportunity for public officials in Morris County to meet and get to know the people behind more than two dozen nonprofits and agencies that serve the neediest people in our community,” said Director Tayfun Selen of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners as he opened the gathering.

“We hope everyone leaves here understanding more about the challenges some of our residents face each day in getting some of the basics in life — such things as having a place to live, getting something to eat each day, transportation, finding medical care and keeping safe from abusers. We also hope our municipal leaders leave here today knowing more about who to reach to assist their residents in need,” Director Selen added.

More than 100 representatives of local government and the nonprofit agencies attended the gathering.

Carolyn Lake of the Interfaith Food Pantry Network said the networking event was crucial, explaining that many of the services provided by the nonprofits and county are not well known to local officials. The event provided an opportunity for them to connect with mayors, health officers and leaders from all 39 of Morris County municipalities.

The event was organized by Lake with Rebecca Butz of Family Promise and both Allison Delcalzo-Berens and Alicia Alvarez of the Morris County Continuum of Community Resource Network 2022 2.jpg Care, with the assistance of Kasey Errico, director of the Morris County Department of Human Services, and members of her staff.

The Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance, Morris County’s Navigating Hope Mobile Unit and the Morris County Sheriff’s Department’s Hope One Mobile Unit joined the networking event.