Expands definition of qualifying municipality for purposes of urban aid under P.L.1978, c.14.*

This bill expands eligibility for New Jersey's Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid (CMPTRA) by modifying qualification criteria for certain municipalities. It allows cities of the third or fourth class in sixth-class counties to qualify if they have either the highest property tax rate in their county or rank in the top 3% most distressed municipalities (per the Department of Community Affairs' Municipal Revitalization Index). This change specifically enables the City of Wildwood and Borough of Woodbine (both in Cape May County) to access CMPTRA funding they previously might not have qualified for under existing rules. The bill removes prior barriers to aid for these financially strained communities by adding these two specific qualification pathways.