Sooooo they give money to the Crystal Pointe developers and then take it from us. OK. That makes perfect sense. I am paying to help wealthy people purchase fancy condos by the water. Great.

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What has been cut? What still remains that either is poorly run, overstaffed or dysfunctional?

I'm not excited about paying more, but I'd hate to see Jersey City like California. You can only cut so far, but still idiots say cut, cut, waste when there's not much waste to cut and still have a decently-run state

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+2

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Exactly - and when you have zero accountability (i.e. you can submit the budget when the year is practically over, like last year) no one can hold you to hollow, feeble promises like "department directors will cut their budgets by 10%." How can they cut their budgets when there is no budget??

Clock is running on the current fiscal year - it began last Wednesday - a mere 50 days after the previous budget was approved. There actually is a state law that requires the budget to be submitted by July 15th. Why do they even bother with laws like this?

I officially love everyone on this post..........may our tax increases be moderate

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+1
More funds for the oversized white T-shirts. Have you seen the new projects going up near lincoln park/off 440? Lets see how long these stay livable.

When is a tax not a tax? When a poltician says so!!

"It should not be classified of a tax increase yet," said Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan. "I think I can say confidently that members of the City Council will work diligently to cut the budget."

To save money, Morrill said, Healy has instituted a voluntary furlough program in which employees are allowed to take up to 30 unpaid days off; instructed department directors to cut their budgets by 10 percent; continued a hiring freeze and a no-overtime policy unless absolutely necessary; and has continued to hunt for outside revenue.

Yeah, I'm sure in this economy people will be taking voluntary furloughs so they can bring home LESS money and save the taxpayer money!

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You just described the eight council members who voted for the tax hike.

Great.....tax me more while the mutants (who don't work, collect welfare, and generally make the world a worse place) get more benefits under this adminstration.

Salary increases in this economic climate?

Jersey City council votes 11.25% tax hike

by Amy Sara Clark
The Jersey Journal
July 09, 2009

The Jersey City City Council last night passed an 11.25 percent tax hike by a vote of 8-1, with only Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop voting against the measure.

The council approved an estimated tax levy of $170 million, which will be used to calculate August and November tax bills. The amount is based on what city officials consider necessary to meet expenses, including salary increases and health insurance costs.

If city officials go the entire fiscal year without cutting $17.9 million from their anticipated spending plan, the result would be a tax hike of $450 for a home assessed at $100,000, said city Business Administrator Brian O'Reilly.

Fulop said he voted against the measure because raising taxes at the beginning of the fiscal year is like "admitting failure right out of the gate."

O'Reilly said raising taxes now would prevent steep hikes in the second half.

Before his re-election on May 12, Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy presented the City Council with a budget for the fiscal year that ended June 30 with virtually no tax increase.

Yesterday, his spokeswoman, Jennifer Morrill, defended the post-election tax hike.

"He is committed to continuing to work to minimize any tax increase, but everyone must bear in mind how severe the national economic situation is," she said.

To save money, Morrill said, Healy has instituted a voluntary furlough program in which employees are allowed to take up to 30 unpaid days off; instructed department directors to cut their budgets by 10 percent; continued a hiring freeze and a no-overtime policy unless absolutely necessary; and has continued to hunt for outside revenue.

During the public comment portion of last night's meeting, Jersey City resident Fletcher Gensamer, who was laid off last fall, said residents can't afford another tax hike.

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Jersey City tax increase passes 8-1

by Amy Sara Clark / The Jersey Journal
Wednesday July 08, 2009, 8:08 PM

The Jersey City 11.25 percent tax increase passed by a vote of 8-1 tonight with Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop the only council member to vote against the measure.

Fulop said raising taxes at the beginning of the year is like "admitting failure right out of the gate."

But Jersey City Business Administrator Brian O'Reilly said raising taxes at the beginning of the year only made sense.

Why?

He says that in past years the city has kept taxes low for the first half of the fiscal year and then dramatically raised them in the second half to make up for shortfalls. This year he wants to try to keep taxes even throughout the four quarters.

He also said that in past years Jersey City hasn't had enough money to pay its expenses in the first half of the year, causing the city to borrow money from other accounts (such as an account for capital funds). This kind of borrowing lowers the city's credit rating, he said.

Although the rest of the council voted for the increase, they promised to work on cutting the budget to bring taxes back down for the second two quarters.

"It should not be classified of a tax increase yet," said Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan. "I think I can say confidently that members of the City Council will work diligently to cut the budget."

Despite an early meeting time of 5 p.m., about two dozen members of the public came to the meeting and a handful spoke against the tax hike.

"I ask the council to realize that people are hurting," said Fletcher Gensamer, who said he was laid off in the fall and is struggling to pay his tax bill.

Dick Shephard, who grew up in Jersey City but now lives in New York City, said voting for the tax increase was perpetuating a system of no-show jobs and double dipping.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said he has has already taken steps to cut next year's budget including:

? instituting a voluntary furlough program where employees are allowed to take up to 30 unpaid days off ? instructing all directors to cut their budgets by 10 percent ? continue his hiring freeze and no-overtime-unless-absolutely-necessary policy ? continue to look for outside revenue sources such as grants and stimulus funds

"The mayor ran on a platform that touted his record of keeping municipal taxes stable for three years in a row," said Healy spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill. "He is committed to continuing to work to minimize any tax increase, but everyone must bear in mind how severe the national economic situation is."