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CC - Resolution

Resolution to Amend 2019 Municipal Budget to Reduce Total Appropriations by Over

$1,000,000

Information
Department: City Clerk Sponsors: 2nd Ward Council Member
Tiffanie Fisher
Category: Budget

Attachments
Printout
Budget Amendment to be Submitted For Approval

Body

WHEREAS, the introduction of the local municipal budget for the year 2019 was approved on March
27th, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the 2019 budget called for a 2.8% increase in the municipal tax rate; and
WHEREAS, the administration and City Council conducted three public budget workshops to present
and discuss the 2019 budgets for each department within the City of Hoboken including Administration, City
Clerk, Corporation Counsel, Community Development, Fire, Police, Hoboken Parking Utility, Environmental
Services, and Health and Human Services; and
WHEREAS, the public hearing on the introduced budget has been held as advertised on May 1st, 2019;
and
WHEREAS, as a result of the public budget meetings and further review of the budget, the City Council
believes there is a way to make further budget cuts and modifications and significantly decrease the tax burden
on Hoboken residents by reducing the tax levy $1,000,800 from $57,134,953 to 56,126,953 which results in a
lesser 1% increase in the municipal tax rate; and
WHEREAS, therefore, the City Council voted to not adopt the 2019 budget; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to amend said approved, but not adopted, budget;
WHEREAS, the City Council believes in this rising cost environment, it is important for the city to show
it can and will “do more with less” while sustaining municipal services, supporting wage increases for our lowest
paid employees, cutting administrative costs and above average salary increases and supporting our seniors and
public safety teams; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that $375,000 in reductions can be made in the Environmental
Services department, all within the Sanitation department, primarily reflecting significantly lower contractual
costs for sanitation than what was budgeted and using funds from the Snow Removal trust account (which has
grown to $196K from when the city spends less on snow plowing than budgeted in any year) to offset a portion
of the budgeted snow plowing costs; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that $370,000 in reductions can be made in the Administration
Department (including City Clerk), primarily reflecting a hiring freeze for the Assistant Business Administrator
position (vacated in February), returning to the 2017 budget amount for salary and wages in the Mayor’s Office,
reducing over budgeted amounts in our Municipal Court and reducing budget for runoff elections (had assumed
100% runoffs); and,
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that $139,000 in reductions can be made in the Corporation
Council department, primarily reflecting reducing special counsel costs to below $1 million for the year; and,
 WHEREAS, the City Council believes that $105,000 in reductions can be made in the Police
Department, with no impact on public safety, primarily reflecting delaying the purchase of new motorcycles and
a 5% decrease in Police overhead budget, and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that a further $54,000 in reductions can be made across
departments reflecting a hiring freeze for an open position and other salary related changes; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the Fire Department should receive a net $90,000 in
additional funding specifically toward providing more support for our firemen and fire chief; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the programming and care for our Seniors deserve additional
funding in the amount of $9,000 including the down payment for a new medical van further described below;
and
WHEREAS, the City of Hoboken Municipal Budget receives contributions from the Hoboken Parking
Utility and in 2019 this amount is $3.2M, down from $4.5M in 2018 the City Council believes that the
contribution from HPU in the Municipal Budget can be increased by $64,000 to $3.264M; and
WHEREAS, the sum of all of the aforementioned modifications results in a net reduction in
appropriations and also the tax levy of $1,008,000 for the Municipal Budget;
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the HPU budget also requires amending;
WHEREAS, as noted above, the City of Hoboken Municipal Budget receives contributions from the
Hoboken Parking Utility and in 2019 this amount is $3.2M, down from $4.5M in 2018 the City Council believes
that the contribution from HPU in the Municipal Budget can be increased, thus INCREASING appropriations for
HPU by $64,000 to $3.264M; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the HOP is an important desirable service to the community,
and the recent change to it being a free service has created the need for expansion of the HOP and therefore have
included in the amended budget funds for a new HOP bus; we have estimated this to be approximately $70,000
and would expect these to be bonded for and amortized over the life of the bus with $7,000 as a down payment
appropriated for in the 2019 amended budget for HPU; and
WHEREAS, at $8.1M, the HPU budget is 11% higher than what was spent in 2018 with increases in
most categories, and to offset the increase in appropriations noted above, the City Council believes that the HPU
budget can be reduced by 1.3% or $103,000;
WHEREAS, the sum of all of the aforementioned modifications results in a net reduction in
appropriations $32,000 in the HPU budget;
NOW THEREFORE IT BEING RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hoboken, County of
Hudson, that the following aforementioned amendments to the approved, but not adopted, budget for the year
2019 be made as further detailed on the attached schedule; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that two (2) certified copies of this resolution be filed forthwith in the
Office of the Director of the Division of Local Government Services for certification of the year 2019 local
municipal budget so amended; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this complete amendment, in accordance with the provisions of
N.J.S.A. 40A: 4-9, be published in the Jersey Journal in the issue of May 10, 2019, and that said publication
contain notice of public hearing on said amendment to be held at City Hall on May 15, 2019, at 7:00 o'clock p.m.
It is hereby certified that this is a true copy of a resolution amending the budget, adopted by the
governing body on the 1st day of May, 2019.

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