New Jersey

After voters in Princeton Borough, N.J., and Princeton Township approved a referendum two weeks ago to consolidate into one community, municipal finance and other observers agreed that it could reflect a trend.

Standard & Poor’s raised the long-term rating to AA-minus from A on the Union County Utilities Authority’s Series 1998A senior lease revenue bonds and Series 1998 taxable solid-waste landfill revenue bonds.

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has approved proposals for the American Dream-Meadowlands project, formerly known as Xanadu.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is said to be chugging ahead with an outside-the-box - and outside-the-state - proposal to further extend the No. 7 subway line to New Jersey, according to a New York Post report that said he will spend the next few months planning for it.

Standard & Poor's Thursday suspended the underlying BB rating on West New York, N.J.'s general obligation debt and removed it from credit watch, where the rating agency had placed it with negative implications on Sept. 16.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners advanced a capacity planning study that will deal with the five airports under its jurisdiction.

Standard & Poor’s raised its underlying rating on various bonds issued by the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority for Saint Barnabas Corp. to BBB from BBB-minus.

Susan Urahn, managing director for the Pew Center on the States, and New Jersey Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff will be the keynote speakers at a forum about state pension issues on Sept. 30 at Rutgers University in Newark.

The mayor of Collingswood, N.J., criticized Moody's Investors Service for imposing a rare "super downgrade" on it - six notches to Ba1, or junk status, from A1, affecting $27.8 million of outstanding rated debt.

As the new developer of the stalled Xanadu retail and amusement mall project at the Meadowlands explores public financing options such as bond sales and tax breaks — possibly for as much as $1 billion — skeptics question whether a concept that worked in the hinterlands will succeed in New Jersey.

A week of noise involving unions and commuters ended quietly in a Manhattan conference room on Friday, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board of commissioners approved a set of toll and fare increases that the states' governors modified.

Upper Township employees had an alternative after voters rejected a proposed $9.5 million bond referendum to repair primary and middle schools: They made the fixes themselves.

Though the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey didn't say so directly in its statement announcing stunningly high fare-hike proposals, the message was clear: the authority is worried about its bond rating.

Cape May County’s Board of Chosen Freeholders will hold a public hearing on Tuesday over a proposed $61 million bond ordinance.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie plans to restore $139 million of aid to financially distressed cities.

Moody's Investors Service, citing massive cuts in fiscal 2012 state aid to affected New Jersey cities, placed six municipalities on review for possible downgrade.

Fitch Ratings has affirmed its stable outlook and A-minus rating for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

New Jersey lawmakers this week are set to vote on the Democrats' $30.6 billion fiscal 2012 budget plan while debating a proposed temporary tax increase for residents making $1 million or more to help fund education spending.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Monday is set to sign into law legislation that requires government employees to pay more for pension and health care benefits.

New Jersey officials last week said the U.S. Army is set to leave Fort Monmouth on Sept. 15 as planned, disputing a report that the military would remain on the 1,100-acre site for another year.