Warren County Commissioner Jason J. Sarnoski was elected Second Vice Chair of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) at its January 8, 2024 Board of Trustees meeting.

“I want to thank my fellow Board members for electing me Second Vice Chair and I look forward to continuing to serve on the Executive Committee,” Commissioner Sarnoski said. “The NJTPA plays an important role, coordinating regional transportation planning efforts and prioritizing funding while considering the needs of a diverse region of rural, suburban and urban communities. The NJTPA also funds much-needed studies, like the county’s Complete Streets Policy Implementation Plan, which is underway.”

The NJTPA oversees regional transportation planning and annually authorizes more than $1 billion in federal surface transportation funding for 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey.

The Executive Committee provides guidance and leadership to the full Board on a wide range of planning, policy and administrative issues. It meets as needed to review financial, personnel and policy matters. Board membership is an uncompensated position.

Commissioner Sarnoski was elected in 2010 and joined the NJTPA Board of Trustees in 2011. He most recently served as Third Vice Chair, and first joined the Board’s Executive Committee when he was elected to a two-year term as Secretary in 2020. He has served as Chair of the Freight Initiatives Committee and as Vice Chair of the Board’s Project Prioritization Committee.

At the meeting, the NJTPA Board also selected four other members of its Executive Committee. The elected members of the Executive Committee are: Ocean County Commissioner John P. Kelly, Chair; Middlesex County Commissioner Charles Kenny, First Vice Chair; and Morris County Commissioner Stephen H. Shaw, Secretary. In accordance with the bylaws, Chairman Kelly appointed Union County Commissioner Bette Jane Kowalski to the position of Third Vice Chair. 

The NJTPA is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for 13 northern New Jersey counties. Under federal legislation, MPOs provide a forum where local officials, public transportation providers and state agency representatives can come together and cooperatively plan to meet the region’s current and future transportation needs. It establishes the region’s eligibility to receive federal tax dollars for transportation projects.
 
The NJTPA Board consists of one local elected official from each of the 13 counties in the region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren), and the cities of Newark and Jersey City. The Board also includes a Governor’s Representative, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Executive Director of NJ TRANSIT, the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a Citizen’s Representative appointed by the Governor.