Township Funds, Reimbursements, and Payments Relating to NJ TransAction Conference and NJ Council on Special Transportation
Dear Livingston Township,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-5(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
For the time period January 1, 2022 through the date of this request, the following records held by Livingston Township:
A. Conference Registration and Attendance
All records reflecting payment by the Township, on behalf of any Township employee, elected official, appointed official, board or commission member, advisory committee member, or other personnel, of registration fees, booth fees, sponsorship fees, exhibitor fees, or any other fees or charges to attend or participate in the NJ TransAction Conference (held annually in Atlantic City, NJ, including but not limited to the 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions of that conference);
All records reflecting any payment, reimbursement, advance, per diem, or expense voucher issued or processed by the Township for any Township personnel in connection with attendance at, travel to, lodging at, or meals during any NJ TransAction Conference, including (without limitation): hotel folios and invoices from Harrah's Resort Atlantic City or any other lodging facility; mileage reimbursement requests; parking and toll reimbursements; meal receipts; and any associated approval forms or authorizations;
All travel authorization forms, conference attendance approval forms, training request forms, professional development forms, or equivalent records relating to attendance by any Township personnel at any NJ TransAction Conference;
All sign-in sheets, registration confirmations, attendee lists, name badge orders, or equivalent records in the Township's possession reflecting which Township personnel attended any NJ TransAction Conference.
B. Payments to NJ COST and Related Entities
All purchase orders, payment vouchers, accounts payable records, check registers, P-card or credit card statements, W-9 forms, and 1099 forms reflecting any payment by Livingston Township to any of the following payees, in any form (registration, sponsorship, membership dues, advertising, contribution, donation, professional services, or otherwise):
a. New Jersey Council on Special Transportation ("NJ COST")
b. NJ TransAction Conference (or any variant: "NJ TransAction," "NJ Trans Action Conference," "TransAction Conference & Expo")
c. EZ Ride and/or Meadowlink (the operating entity for EZ Ride)
d. Michael Vieira, individually
e. Any entity utilizing the email domain @njcost.com, @njtransaction.com, or @njtransportation.ccsend.com
f. Any vendor identified on any invoice as acting for, or remitting payment to, any of the entities or individuals in (a)-(e) above.
C. Sponsorship, Membership, and Institutional Relationship Records
All records reflecting any institutional membership, sponsorship, exhibitor agreement, or similar relationship between Livingston Township (or any Township department, board, or commission) and NJ COST, the NJ TransAction Conference, or EZ Ride, including (without limitation) membership applications, dues invoices, sponsorship agreements, exhibitor contracts, and any associated correspondence;
All records reflecting any in-kind support provided by Livingston Township to NJ COST, the NJ TransAction Conference, or any related entity (e.g., loaned personnel time, use of Township facilities, use of Township vehicles, donation of services).
D. Communications (Narrowed to Satisfy N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g) / Elcavage)
To the extent any of the foregoing categories implicates email or other communications, I am narrowing the communications portion of this request as follows to satisfy each prong of N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g) and the criteria of Elcavage v. West Milford Twp., GRC Complaint No. 2009-07:
Specific accounts (job titles and individuals): The @livingstonnj.org accounts of the Township Manager; Deputy Township Manager; Township Clerk; Chief Financial Officer; Township Treasurer; Director of Finance and any deputy or assistant Director of Finance; Purchasing Agent; Township Engineer; Director of Public Works; Director of Senior, Youth and Leisure Services (and any successor title with responsibility for senior or paratransit transportation services); the personal @livingstonnj.org account of Councilman Michael Vieira; and any account assigned to staff of the Livingston Transportation Advisory Committee.
Specific subject matter: Communications referencing any of the following terms, in any combination and without regard to capitalization: "TransAction," "NJ COST," "Council on Special Transportation," "EZ Ride," "Meadowlink," "Harrah's" (in conjunction with conference, registration, or travel), or "Vieira" (in conjunction with conference, registration, sponsorship, membership, reimbursement, or travel).
Reasonable time period: January 1, 2022 through the date this request is received and acknowledged by the Township.
For the accounts, subject matter, and time period specified above, all responsive emails (including message body and full RFC 5322 headers), calendar invitations, and attachments.
Form of Production
For records in categories A, B, and C, PDF or original format (e.g., .xlsx for spreadsheet-based check registers) is preferred. For records in category D, .eml or .msg format with full headers preserved is preferred for emails; PDF is acceptable if .eml/.msg is not feasible, provided full headers are included.
Common Law Right of Access
To the extent any record requested above is determined not to be subject to disclosure under OPRA, I separately and independently request the same record under the common law right of access, balancing the substantial public interest in transparency regarding (i) public expenditures on outside conferences, (ii) the Township's institutional and financial relationships with outside entities led by sitting Township elected officials, and (iii) compliance with the Local Government Ethics Law, against any asserted confidentiality interest.
Closing
Please:
Confirm receipt of this request in writing within the timeframe required by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(i);
Provide an estimated production date, separately for each of categories A, B, C, and D if their production timelines differ;
Identify any specific record as to which the Township intends to invoke a redaction or exemption, together with the specific statutory or regulatory basis;
Forward this request to any other custodian whose records may be responsive (including, but not limited to, the Chief Financial Officer and the Director of Finance), and provide that custodian's contact information.
If you anticipate a special service charge under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(c), please provide a detailed itemized estimate (separately stating extraction, review, redaction, and indexing time) along with the title and salary basis of the proposed staff member, before commencing work. I do not authorize any special service charge in advance of receiving and accepting such an itemized estimate in writing.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Concerned Livingston Residents
Dear Concerned Livingston Residents,
Your OPRA and common law request was received after regular business hours
at 8:11 pm on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 and considered to be received the
next business day, April 16, 2026, with a response due on or before April
27, 2026. Our responses are in bold below. You requested:
For the time period January 1, 2022 through the date of this request, the
following records held by Livingston Township:
A. Conference Registration and Attendance
All records reflecting payment by the Township, on behalf of
any Township employee, elected official, appointed official, board or
commission member, advisory committee member, or other personnel, of
registration fees, booth fees, sponsorship fees, exhibitor fees, or any
other fees or charges to attend or participate in the NJ TransAction
Conference (held annually in Atlantic City, NJ, including but not limited
to the 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions of that conference);
All records reflecting any payment, reimbursement, advance, per diem, or
expense voucher issued or processed by the Township for
any Township personnel in connection with attendance at, travel to,
lodging at, or meals during any NJ TransAction Conference, including
(without limitation): hotel folios and invoices from Harrah's Resort
Atlantic City or any other lodging facility; mileage reimbursement
requests; parking and toll reimbursements; meal receipts; and any
associated approval forms or authorizations;
All travel authorization forms, conference attendance approval forms,
training request forms, professional development forms, or equivalent
records relating to attendance by any Township personnel at any NJ
TransAction Conference;
All sign-in sheets, registration confirmations, attendee lists, name badge
orders, or equivalent records in the Township's possession reflecting
which Township personnel attended any NJ TransAction Conference.
There are no responsive records.
B. Payments to NJ COST and Related Entities
All purchase orders, payment vouchers, accounts payable records, check
registers, P-card or credit card statements, W-9 forms, and 1099 forms
reflecting any payment by Livingston Township to any of the following
payees, in any form (registration, sponsorship, membership dues,
advertising, contribution, donation, professional services, or otherwise):
a. New Jersey Council on Special Transportation ("NJ COST")
b. NJ TransAction Conference (or any variant: "NJ TransAction," "NJ Trans
Action Conference," "TransAction Conference & Expo")
c. EZ Ride and/or Meadowlink (the operating entity for EZ Ride)
d. Michael Vieira, individually
e. Any entity utilizing the email domain @[1]njcost.com,
@[2]njtransaction.com, or @[3]njtransportation.ccsend.com
f. Any vendor identified on any invoice as acting for, or remitting
payment to, any of the entities or individuals in (a)-(e) above.
There are no responsive records.
C. Sponsorship, Membership, and Institutional Relationship Records
All records reflecting any institutional membership, sponsorship,
exhibitor agreement, or similar relationship between
Livingston Township (or any Township department, board, or commission) and
NJ COST, the NJ TransAction Conference, or EZ Ride, including (without
limitation) membership applications, dues invoices, sponsorship
agreements, exhibitor contracts, and any associated correspondence;
All records reflecting any in-kind support provided by
Livingston Township to NJ COST, the NJ TransAction Conference, or any
related entity (e.g., loaned personnel time, use of Township facilities,
use of Township vehicles, donation of services).
There are no responsive records.
D. Communications (Narrowed to Satisfy N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g) / Elcavage)
To the extent any of the foregoing categories implicates email or other
communications, I am narrowing the communications portion of this request
as follows to satisfy each prong of N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g) and the criteria
of Elcavage v. West Milford Twp., GRC Complaint No. 2009-07:
Specific accounts (job titles and individuals): The
@[4]livingstonnj.org accounts of the Township Manager;
Deputy Township Manager; Township Clerk; Chief Financial
Officer; Township Treasurer; Director of Finance and any deputy or
assistant Director of Finance; Purchasing Agent; Township Engineer;
Director of Public Works; Director of Senior, Youth and Leisure Services
(and any successor title with responsibility for senior or paratransit
transportation services); the personal @[5]livingstonnj.org account of
Councilman Michael Vieira; and any account assigned to staff of the
Livingston Transportation Advisory Committee.
Specific subject matter: Communications referencing any of the following
terms, in any combination and without regard to capitalization:
"TransAction," "NJ COST," "Council on Special Transportation," "EZ Ride,"
"Meadowlink," "Harrah's" (in conjunction with conference, registration, or
travel), or "Vieira" (in conjunction with conference, registration,
sponsorship, membership, reimbursement, or travel).
Reasonable time period: January 1, 2022 through the date this request is
received and acknowledged by the Township.
For the accounts, subject matter, and time period specified above, all
responsive emails (including message body and full RFC 5322 headers),
calendar invitations, and attachments.
Form of Production
For records in categories A, B, and C, PDF or original format (e.g., .xlsx
for spreadsheet-based check registers) is preferred. For records in
category D, .eml or .msg format with full headers preserved is preferred
for emails; PDF is acceptable if .eml/.msg is not feasible, provided full
headers are included.
Common Law Right of Access
To the extent any record requested above is determined not to be subject
to disclosure under OPRA, I separately and independently request the same
record under the common law right of access, balancing the substantial
public interest in transparency regarding (i) public expenditures on
outside conferences, (ii) the Township's institutional and financial
relationships with outside entities led by sitting Township elected
officials, and (iii) compliance with the Local Government Ethics Law,
against any asserted confidentiality interest.
Closing
Please:
Confirm receipt of this request in writing within the timeframe required
by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(i);
Provide an estimated production date, separately for each of categories A,
B, C, and D if their production timelines differ;
Identify any specific record as to which the Township intends to invoke a
redaction or exemption, together with the specific statutory or regulatory
basis;
Forward this request to any other custodian whose records may be
responsive (including, but not limited to, the Chief Financial Officer and
the Director of Finance), and provide that custodian's contact
information.
If you anticipate a special service charge under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(c),
please provide a detailed itemized estimate (separately stating
extraction, review, redaction, and indexing time) along with the title and
salary basis of the proposed staff member, before commencing work. I do
not authorize any special service charge in advance of receiving and
accepting such an itemized estimate in writing.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail
as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you
are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person
and provide their email address to me for future reference.
The Township’s IT Department has advised that there are 26,126 responsive
emails using the search criteria provided, which is approximately 26.2
gigabytes of text emails and1.6 gigabytes of file attachments. Due to the
extensive number of emails to be extracted, reviewed, redacted and
indexed, a special service charge and an extension of time will be
required. The lowest paid person capable to perform this task is the
Assistant to the Township Clerk, whose hourly rate is $28.69. Due to the
large number of OPRA requests received by this Department, and to
minimally impact the other statutory and non-statutory duties required of
this department, it is estimated that one hour per day or five hours per
week can be allocated to this request, which amounts to approximately 150
emails reviewed per week. Based off this estimate, it would take this
office 174 weeks to complete the review and cost approximately
$24,906.30. As this is only an estimate, a 50% deposit, or $12,480.15
will be needed to proceed with this request. Alternatively, you can
choose to narrow the search criteria for this request. Please advise how
to proceed by May 1, 2026 or this request will be deemed closed.
Sincerely,
Township Clerk's Office
Livingston Township Hall
357 S. Livingston Avenue
Livingston, NJ 07039
P 973-992-5000 ext #5400 | F 973-535-7967
[6]www.livingstonnj.org
Sign Up for [7]Livingston Alerts & Notifications
Official email of the Township of Livingston NJ
For Official Business Use Only
References
Visible links
1. http://njcost.com/
2. http://njtransaction.com/
3. http://njtransportation.ccsend.com/
4. http://livingstonnj.org/
5. http://livingstonnj.org/
6. http://www.livingstonnj.org/
7. https://www.livingstonnj.org/1348/Living...
Dear Township Clerk's Office,
Thank you for your response dated April 27, 2026. I write to address the special service charge estimate for Category D and to submit a narrowed request, while preserving all rights set forth below.
I. Acknowledgment of Categories A, B, and C
I have received and noted the Township's certification that there are no responsive records for Categories A, B, and C. I reserve the right to seek GRC review or judicial relief if evidence subsequently comes to light indicating that responsive records exist and were not disclosed.
I additionally note that your response did not confirm whether the search for Categories A, B, and C was conducted by, or in coordination with, the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance as requested in my closing paragraph. Please confirm in writing: (1) which Township departments and custodians were queried in connection with Categories A, B, and C; and (2) whether the CFO and Director of Finance were specifically asked to search their records.
II. Category D — Special Service Charge: Objections Reserved
I am submitting a narrowed Category D request below. I do so without waiving — and expressly reserving — the following objections to the Township's estimate:
Search methodology. My request specified Boolean AND constructions — for example, "Harrah's" only in conjunction with conference, registration, or travel; "Vieira" only in conjunction with conference, registration, sponsorship, membership, reimbursement, or travel. Please confirm in writing the exact search syntax executed by your IT Department. If the Department ran simple OR or individual keyword searches rather than the conjoined Boolean terms specified, the resulting volume is a product of the Township's own overbroad methodology, not my request, and cannot form the basis of a charge to me.
Review rate. A rate of 150 emails per week — 30 emails per hour — does not reflect the "lowest competent staff" standard under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(c). Standard electronic document review, even without specialized software, proceeds at substantially higher rates. The GRC has previously rejected estimates premised on artificially low throughput. I reserve the right to challenge this estimate before the GRC.
Scope of accounts searched. Please confirm whether the email search was limited to the specific @livingstonnj.org accounts enumerated in my request, or whether additional accounts were included.
III. Narrowed Category D Request
In the interest of advancing production efficiently and without prejudice to the objections above, I submit the following narrowed request in substitution for the original Category D:
- Accounts: The @livingstonnj.org account of Councilman Michael Vieira only, and the @livingstonnj.org account of the Township Manager only.
- Subject matter: Communications containing any of the following terms: "TransAction," "NJ COST," "Council on Special Transportation," or "njtransaction.com." The terms "Harrah's," "Meadowlink," and "Vieira" as standalone search terms are withdrawn.
- Time period: January 1, 2024 through the date of this request.
Please provide a revised special service charge estimate, if any, for this narrowed request, with the same itemization required by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(c) and including a written description of the search syntax to be used.
IV. Common Law Right of Access
My common law right of access claim, as stated in the original request, remains in full force and is not narrowed by this letter.
V. Preservation of Rights
This letter constitutes a timely response before your May 1, 2026 deadline. Nothing herein shall be construed as a withdrawal of the original Category D request, a waiver of any objection to the special service charge estimate, or a waiver of the right to file a complaint with the Government Records Council.
Please confirm receipt and provide the revised estimate within the statutory timeframe.
Yours sincerely,
Concerned Livingston Residents
Dear Concerned Livingston Residents:
Please see our responses in bold typeface below to your clarification
received after regular business hours on April 29, 2026 and considered to
be received the next business day, Thursday, April 30, 2026 for:
III. Narrowed Category D Request In the interest of advancing production
efficiently and without prejudice to the objections above, I submit the
following narrowed request in substitution for the original Category D:
- Accounts: The @[1]livingstonnj.org account of Councilman Michael Vieira
only, and the @[2]livingstonnj.org account of the Township Manager only.
- Subject matter: Communications containing any of the following terms:
"TransAction," "NJ COST," "Council on Special Transportation," or
"[3]njtransaction.com." The terms "Harrah's," "Meadowlink," and "Vieira"
as standalone search terms are withdrawn.
- Time period: January 1, 2024 through the date of this request.
Please provide a revised special service charge estimate, if any, for this
narrowed request, with the same itemization required by N.J.S.A.
47:1A-5(c) and including a written description of the search syntax to be
used.
Thank you for the Category D clarification. The Township’s IT Department
has advised that there are 1,100 responsive emails using the search
criteria provided, which is approximately 1.95 gigabytes of text emails.
Due to the large number of emails to be extracted, reviewed, redacted and
indexed, a special service charge and an extension of time will be
required. The lowest paid person capable to perform this task is the
Assistant to the Township Clerk, whose hourly rate is $28.69. Due to the
large number of OPRA requests received by this Department, and to
minimally impact the other statutory and non-statutory duties required of
this department, it is estimated that one hour per day or five hours per
week can be allocated to this request, which amounts to approximately 150
emails reviewed per week. Again, this is an estimate only, and if the
number of emails that are reviewed per hour changes we will advise of a
cost adjustment. Based off this estimate, it would take this office 7.3
weeks to complete the review and cost approximately $1051.97. A 50%
deposit, or $525.98 will be needed to proceed with this request. Please
advise on how to proceed by May 20, 2026 or this request will be deemed
closed.
As a reminder, OPRA provides an alternative means of access to government
documents not otherwise exempted from its reach, and is not a request for
information. However, in answer to your prior question regarding
distribution of said request, records were requested from all applicable
individuals, including the QPA and the CFO, who is the manager of the
Finance Department.
Sincerely,
Township Clerk's Office
Livingston Township Hall
357 S. Livingston Avenue
Livingston, NJ 07039
P 973-992-5000 ext #5400 | F 973-535-7967
[4]www.livingstonnj.org
Sign Up for [5]Livingston Alerts & Notifications
Official email of the Township of Livingston NJ
For Official Business Use Only
References
Visible links
1. http://livingstonnj.org/
2. http://livingstonnj.org/
3. http://njtransaction.com/
4. http://www.livingstonnj.org/
5. https://www.livingstonnj.org/1348/Living...