Bill would let towns, counties use one state transportation grant form

In New Jersey, towns, counties and other applicants for transportation aid would no longer have to chase a different form for each program. A proposal in Trenton would require the state Department of Transportation, or DOT, to build one universal application for any grant program it runs, including county and municipal grants.

Once DOT publishes the form, every grant assistance application it administers would have to go through that single system. The act would take effect immediately.

One door for every grant

DOT would have three months from the section’s effective date to develop the application and post it on the department’s website. The form would be the only entry point for grant requests after it goes live, which is the point of the change: fewer program-specific hoops for local governments and other applicants to sort through.

The proposal does not create new grant money. It changes how people ask for existing aid, and it reaches any DOT grant program, not just a narrow slice of transportation funding.

What the department controls

The department would decide how much information the form needs, as long as it is enough for a complete review. It could also adopt rules under the Administrative Procedure Act to carry out the new process.

Before DOT posts the universal application, it would have to give the public 30 days’ notice so prospective applicants know the system is changing.