Establishes "Municipal Community Center Grant Program."

A5145

ASSEMBLY, No. 5145

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 28, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� GERRY SCHARFENBERGER

District 13 (Monmouth)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Myhre and Assemblywoman Flynn

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes �Municipal Community Center Grant
Program.��

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing the �Municipal Community Center
Grant Program,� and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� a.� There is established
the �Municipal Community Center Grant Program� in the Division of Housing and
Community Resources in the Department of Community Affairs, which shall provide
grants to municipalities, as annually appropriated, for the construction of new
community centers.

���� b.��� The director shall
administer the program, and shall:

���� (1)� prescribe procedures for
grant applications;

���� (2)� advise and assist municipalities
in the preparation of grant applications;

���� (3)� establish criteria and
procedures for the award of grants consistent with the provisions of this
section; and

���� (4)� monitor and evaluate the
use of grant funds received by municipalities pursuant to this section.

���� c.���� Any municipality may
apply to the director to receive a grant under the program to construct a new
community center within the municipality.� The director shall first evaluate
all applications to determine which municipalities establish the greatest need
for a community center due to a current lack of such facilities, or
insufficient number of such facilities relative to the population of the
municipality, and shall prioritize the award of grants to these applicant
municipalities.� The funds distributed under the program shall be utilized
solely toward the construction of new community centers.

���� d.��� The Department of
Community Affairs shall request annually as part of its annual budget proposal
a minimum of $10,000,000 to fund the grants authorized pursuant to this
section.� The department and the Division of Housing and Community Resources also
shall pursue and utilize any available federal, State, local, and private
funding for the grants authorized pursuant to this section.

���� e.���� Of the amount
appropriated to the program, two percent shall be allocated to the Division of
Housing and Community Resources to be used to administer the program.

���� f.���� As used in this
section:

���� �Community center� means any
indoor or outdoor buildings, spaces, structures, or improvements intended for
active or passive recreation, including but not limited to recreation fields
and facilities, meeting halls, and classrooms, accommodating either organized
or informal activity.

���� �Director� means the director
of the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the Department of
Community Affairs.

���� �Program� means the �Municipal
Community Center Grant Program� established pursuant to subsection a. of this
section.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

����� This bill establishes the �Municipal Community Center
Grant Program� in the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the
Department of Community Affairs.� This program is to annually provide grants to
municipalities for use towards the construction of new community centers.

����� The bill provides a priority in the award of grants
to municipalities that currently lack community centers or have an insufficient
number of these facilities relative to the population of the municipality.

����� The bill requires the Department of Community Affairs
to annually request, as part of its annual budget proposal, a minimum of $10
million to fund the grants authorized by the bill.� The bill also requires the
department and the Division of Housing and Community Resources to pursue and
utilize any available federal, State, local, and private funding for the
grants.