HAPPY 4TH OF JULY
ACCESSIBLE PARKING SPACES
UNEMPLOYMENT TAX INCREASE AVOIDED!
IMPORTANT INFO FOR PIFs
LUKOIL DEALERS MEETING

With the Fourth of July holiday upon us, we are all looking forward to a long weekend with friends and family. I know I certainly am. Many of you will be visiting neighbors, hosting barbecues or taking a much deserved break to spend time with your families. I hope you relax and enjoy yourselves!  Still it is very important not to let the significance of the Fourth of July go unnoticed.  America is the greatest nation the world has ever known, and the journey to be such a great nation has been long and at times difficult, if not adventurous and amazing.

Recently I took a long weekend and traveled to Boston with my wife to explore the place where our nation’s roots were planted. Although I have always been a fan of history, I was utterly amazed while visiting many historical sites, such as where the Boston Tea Party actually took place. Many people sacrificed a tremendous amount back then, and many others have sacrificed even more since, so that we can be as free and prosperous as we are today. Don’t forget to count all of our nation’s blessings while you celebrate everything that this nation stands for!

On behalf of all of us at NJGCA, a very happy Fourth of July to you and your families!

I know that we're all excited to get the long weekend started, but there are a couple of important issues that I want to bring to your attention this week.  It turns out that there is more to share than I had originally thought, so stick with me and continue reading. Some of this info is extremely important for those who own convenience stores and repair shops.

Members that provide "accessible" parking spots to accommodate individuals with disabilities, most likely if you operate a convenience store, must pay special attention. There have recently been some changes made to the regulations that govern accessible parking. The changes have been made in order to reduce the number of people who fraudulently display “accessible placards or license plates” and then park in spaces that are intended for those citizens that truly need reserved spots with easier access to your stores.

HERE IS AN ADVISORY FROM MVC. Over the next three years, MVC will also be phasing in redesigned placards. Examples of new and old style placards are printed in the MVC Advisory, so that you can see the differences between them. Finally, introductory packets will be distributed to police departments prior to the August 1, 2013 rollout, should you require any additional information.  Of course you can call us here at NJGCA headquarters if you need further clarification.

Here’s a bit of good news for you. Governor Christie recently signed into law a bill that suspends the 10% surcharge on the employer portion of NJ unemployment insurance taxes during Fiscal Year 2014, which began July 1st. The Office of Legislative Services estimates that the bill will avert a $300 million payroll tax increase, and will save employers approximately $150 per employee per year. I'm also pleased to write that there was not one vote against this bill on the floor of the General Assembly or the Senate. I remain hopeful that New Jersey’s legislators will continue to recognize the need to pass legislation that bolsters New Jersey’s small businesses.

Shop owners pay attention!

Recently PIF owners received a package in the mail announcing that Verizon will no longer be handling the VIIS transaction service. This is the service that accounts for and collects the 79 cents transaction fees that you pay with each inspection that you perform.

Some of the package that you received was sent in error.  Calls from many of you indicate that it has created some confusion. ONLY the PIF enrollment form and the ACH form should have been included. The Non-ACH form was sent in error.

The VIIS transaction service will now be completely handled by Parsons, although Verizon will still remain as the internet provider. During the transition, service should continue uninterrupted.

Here are some important facts:

1. PIFs continue to be responsible for maintaining the internet connection.

2. The transaction fee will remain at 79 cents.

3. Billing and payments will now become paperless.  Parsons will email you an invoice on the 5th of each month outlining the fees that are due based on the transactions that were processed during the previous month.  No paper bills will be mailed.

4. The amount that you owe will be automatically deducted from your checking account on the 26th of each month.

5. You will likely receive two invoices for the month that the transition occurs. Verizon will invoice you for the portion of the month up until it is handed off to Parsons, and then Parsons will invoice you for the remainder of that month. After that the normal billing cycle will resume as I just described. We expect the official handoff will be sometime between August and October 2013, although it may be earlier in some instances.

6. PIFs must complete the enrollment packages no later than July 31, 2013.

7. Should funds be drafted when there are “Insufficient Funds” in the checking account, then there will be a fee of $25 charged to the PIF and the inspection equipment will be locked.  An additional fee of $50 will be charged to unlock the equipment.

8. Complete the Private Inspection Facility Enrollment Form.  It is very important to properly complete the billing information and include your email address in section 4 of the form. Be sure to sign and date the form.

9. Complete the Parsons Automated Clearing House (ACH) Authorization Form.  You must provide account information and include a voided blank check that will be used for routing purposes when deducting funds from your account on the 26th of each month. Once again be sure to sign and date the forms.

Mail all forms to:
PARSONS
Attention Station Enrollment
3100 Princeton Pike 
Building #2, 2nd Floor
Lawrenceville, NJ  08648
 
If you need further assistance call NJGCA HQ and ask for Debbie Hill or email debbie@njgca.org  you can also call Parsons directly at 888-656-6867. Most calls will be returned within 24 hours.

Continuing with MVC Inspection news; we recently became aware of an issue that a PIF encountered during the process of recalibrating his Emissions Inspection equipment to perform tail pipe emissions testing. The machine needed repairs. SGS completed the necessary repairs in the prescribed time period allowed.  Per MVC regulations, the PIF owner faxed the repair receipt to the regional MVC office alerting MVC that the repair had been made, and that the PIF was ready for an MVC auditor to visit the site to perform a final manual calibration and unlock the machine.

However, while waiting for the auditor to arrive to certify the TSI machine and unlock it, MVC improperly also locked out his OBDII emissions test equipment, thereby preventing the PIF from performing ANY inspections at all.  Because his regular auditor was away on vacation, the PIF owner had to wait a whole week to get up and running again. While it was appropriate to be locked out from using the tail pipe emissions equipment, it was inappropriate to be locked out of the OBDII equipment also. We brought this issue to the attention of MVC officials who confirmed that this IS NOT proper procedure, and claimed that there must have been a mix up.   We were informed that MVC staff should accept the receipt issued by SGS for the repair, and then dispatch an auditor immediately to unlock the equipment. OBDII equipment should not be affected at all, whatsoever. Should you find yourself experiencing a similar situation, please do not hesitate to contact Debbie Hill at NJGCA at 973-376-0066.

Finally, LUKOIL dealers, please take note. You should have all received a message from me in your inbox about a meeting next Thursday, July 11. Please continue to watch your inbox for important updates about this meeting. It is critical that you attend this meeting.

Lastly this week, please note that we have scheduled a new Emission Inspector Training class for anyone who is interested. This class is required to be licensed by the state and is specially tailored for NJGCA members. See full details below, complete the registration form and return it to our office. Please feel free to reach out to Debbie Hill with any questions at 973-376-0066.

Thanks for reading – See you next week!