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Bill

S 3941

Directs telephone corporations to use information regarding federal and state assistance programs that qualify recipients for telephone Lifeline service

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Leroy Comrie

Shifts and extends local budget timelines, lengthens audit deadlines, tightens penalties, and broadens state oversight of county/municipal finance staff.

REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Bill Summary · S 3941

Summary — S-3941 (as amended)

Note on title discrepancy: the bill information provided lists a title about telephone Lifeline service, but the circulated text and committee statement for S-3941 address changes to local unit (county and municipal) budget processes and related administration. This summary is based on the bill text and committee report provided (Senate Community & Urban Affairs Committee, 11/10/2025).

Main purpose

S-3941 makes multiple procedural and timing changes to county and municipal budget processes, updates related administrative authorities and penalties, and clarifies deadlines and oversight procedures affecting local government finance officers and other municipal professionals.

Key provisions and changes

  • Budget submission deadlines

    • Requires mayors, municipal managers, and municipal managers under council-manager plans to submit recommended/tentative annual budgets by February 28 (for calendar-year municipalities), replacing earlier January/15 / February 15 timing in some statutes.

  • Budget introduction and approval deadlines

    • Counties: move introduction/approval deadline to March 31 (previously January 26).
    • Municipalities (calendar fiscal year): move introduction/approval deadline to March 31 (previously February 10).
    • Allows a governing body to introduce and approve the budget at the next regularly scheduled meeting after those dates when necessary.

  • Budget adoption deadlines

    • Counties: adoption moved to April 30 (previously February 25).
    • Municipalities (calendar fiscal year): adoption moved to April 30 (previously March 20).
    • Allows adoption at the next regularly scheduled meeting after those dates, and maintains other provisions for State fiscal-year municipalities.

  • Temporary budget

    • Raises the permissible temporary budget level for calendar-year counties and municipalities from 26.25% to 35% of the prior year's total appropriations.

  • Annual audit and financial statement timing

    • Extends the time to complete the annual audit from 6 months to 8 months after fiscal year close.
    • Moves the annual statement on financial condition deadline for calendar-year municipalities from February 10 to March 10.

  • Vacancies and filling key positions

    • Establishes a 90-day deadline (with limited authority for the Director of the Division of Local Government Services to extend) to fill vacancies in positions with budget-related responsibilities: municipal/county chief financial officer, municipal tax collector, municipal clerk, and principal public works manager.

  • Penalties

    • Increases the personal penalty on governing body members for certain failures/refusals to comply with statutory budget responsibilities from $25 to $100, and establishes a $100 personal penalty for additional specified noncompliance.

  • Director oversight and reviews

    • Expands the director’s authority to initiate reviews of the behavior or practices of certain local professionals (registered municipal clerk, certified tax collector, certified public works manager, qualified purchasing agent), not just reviews at the governing body’s request.
    • Authorizes the director to grant extensions for municipalities to mail estimated property tax bills for good cause under reasonable terms.

  • Transparency

    • Reaffirms requirements to make adopted budgets available for public inspection online (or on the Department of Community Affairs site if no local website) and to provide user‑friendly summaries.

Who is affected

  • Counties and municipalities (particularly those on a calendar fiscal year)
  • Municipal and county officials with budget responsibilities (mayors, municipal managers, CFOs, tax collectors, clerks, public works managers, qualified purchasing agents)
  • Local governing body members (via increased personal penalties)
  • Residents (through changes in budget timing, temporary budget authority, tax bill mailing extensions, and public access to budget documents)

Procedural / timeline aspects

  • Committee action: Reported favorably with amendments by the Senate Community & Urban Affairs Committee (11/10/2025).
  • Effective date (as amended): Effective immediately and applicable to the next local fiscal year beginning after the bill’s effective date.
  • Related legislation: Companion A-5240; several related/prior-session bills listed.

This bill primarily shifts and extends several statutory deadlines to give local units more time for budget preparation and audit completion, tightens some administrative oversight, expands review powers of the Division of Local Government Services, and raises penalties for noncompliance.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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