The public notice is buried within the jj. Something as important as the city budget should be plastered on the front page of the city of JC site. Citizens should not have to dig for this information. As for other expenses, the budget defines them as "Materials, supplies and non-bondable equipment; repairs and maintenance of buildings, equipment, roads, ect; contractual services for garbage and trash removal, fire hydrant services, aid to volunteer fire companies, etc; printing and advertising, utility services, insurance and many other items essential to the services rendered by municipal government." That really helps! I can't imagine breaking these down would be such a hard task. What I would like to know is what the process is for getting these "other" expenses approved.

Quote: The only notice I saw about the ABC mtgs was pinned to the City Hall bulletin board to the right of the police check, a place guaranteed not to be seen but by a handful. I contacted the ABC directly and had them send me an email which I\'ve posted below. BTW, in last year\'s awards for the best communication to a municipalities residents, went to Newark. JC was not even mentioned in the numerous municipalities listed: Center for Government Studies Serving New Jersey for Sixty Years http://www.cgs.rutgers.edu/ The Center for Government Services at Rutgers Division of Continuing Studies, The State University of New Jersey, provides continuing education, technical assistance, and research to New Jersey state and local governments. The Center was established in 1991 from the consolidation of the Bureau of Government Research and the Department of Government Services. The Bureau was founded in 1950 and the Department in 1959. Today?offering more than 850 courses and seminars each year?the Center continually improves the knowledge, competency, and professionalism of state and municipal officials and employees. Results of Municipal Public Information Contest Overview Initiatives to increase the public?s awareness of government operations strengthen community ties and provide useful information and services to citizens deserve to be highlighted. The purpose of this contest is to promote the use of successful and innovative techniques that increase government?s ability to meet citizen needs and improve access to government services. The contest sponsors hope this will create interest and provide incentive for municipalities to develop or enhance their public information programs in order to be able to offer more innovative, responsive and personalized services to citizens. Entries were evaluated on the clarity, quality and completeness of the information provided. Plaques are awarded for first place entries in the following categories: * Best Overall ? Total public information program. * Print Media ? Annual Reports, newsletters, special bulletins. * Non-Web Electronic Media ? Cable TV programs, special announcements, community bulletin boards, etc. * Web Sites ? Applications that provide service or information to citizens, such as licensing, tax collections, permits, emergency preparedness, public health, disaster resources, business and home safety and environmental services. * Special/Innovative Programs ? Such as access to information by people with disabilities or who use English as a second language; interactive telecommunications systems; or electronic libraries. Standards of Judging Eligible entries were judged on the basis of the following four categories. Each area was evaluated equally. * Content ? Was the information comprehensive? * Clarity ? Was the entry clear and well presented? * Adaptability ? Did the entry lend itself to further use and adoption by other municipalities? * Appearance ? Was the entry user-friendly? Eligibility Only one entry was accepted per municipality. The entry materials must have been produced between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009. Awards Awards were presented on November 19, 2009, at the New Jersey League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City. First Place: * Newark City ? Best Overall * Wayne Township ? Best Print Media * East Windsor Township ? Best Non-Web Electronic Media * Pompton Lakes Borough ? Best Web Site * Middletown Township ? Best Special/Innovative Program: ?Buy Middletown? Special Recognition: * Millstone Township ? Electronic Media * Washington Township (Morris County) ? Web Site * Galloway Township ? Special/Innovative: ?Community Garden? * Carteret Borough ? Print Media: Recycling Calendar * Franklin Township (Somerset County) ? Print Media: Newsletter Honorable Mention: * Clifton City * Deptford Township * Fair Haven Borough * Fair Lawn Borough * Franklin Borough * Freehold Township * Hillsborough Township * Kearny Town * Lyndhurst Township * Montgomery Township * Newton Town * Ocean City * Pittsgrove Township * Sandyston Township * South River Borough * Tenafly Borough * Tinton Falls Borough * Washington Borough * Wyckoff Township Sponsors Center for Government Services ? Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Jersey Municipal Management Association New Jersey State League of Municipalities ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry if the thread subject was confusing (along with the numbers not being lined up) Yes the purpose of my thread was 2 fold. I wanted to get the public notice budget summary posted which had the Feb 24th date and where to pick up copies of the full budget. I also wanted to let everyone know that the State/ County/ City (all cities around JC) post (hide) their public notices in the paper copy of the JJ. I am betting that many of the DTJC newcomers (and old-timers) don?t even bother picking up a paper copy of the JJ.

Like I said up above maybe someone can get Steve F. to propose a resolution to have the public notices put on County and City official websites. It is like we are living in the 1920?s having notices posted in a paper copy of a newspaper that doesn?t have much of a circulation. Put it in the paper along with a link.

The DTJC newcomers are probably the best and bightest financial people in the country. (don?t get a big head) A lot of you work on Wall Street. You would think that the city would tap into that talent. Instead they appoint some JC political hack to do the books.

Getting back to the notices in the last three days here are examples of what was hidden in the paper copy of the JJ.

- Entertainment license renewals for almost every bar in DTJC...Light Horse Tavern, Michael Anthony?s, O?Hara?s Downtown, York Street Tavern, Puccini?s, Lamp Post, Ringside Lounge, just to mention a few. These are the notices that say if you have an objection to the renewal send in a letter within 20 days of the date of the publication of the notice.

- I see that there are some people on this site that have catering businesses. There were two notices looking for bids for food services for a nursery on Westside Ave. and today one looking for bids for the food service at Bayonne pool for the next 5 years.

- meeting notices...the JC Redevelopment Agency will hold its next meeting on Feb 16 at 6:00 pm 14th floor of 30 Montgomery St.....Hudson County Mental Health Board 2010 meeting schedule is posted....

- all kinds of requests for bids for street repaving, trucks, bus services, it software, and elevator work in Hoboken.

- yesterdays JJ had a very long notice of sale (bid for bonds?) by Hudson County for 32 million dollar County College Bonds. It went on for pages all kinds of legal mumbo jumbo do they think that the average citizen of JC will ever see it or if they did read it actually know what it all means? (I don?t and I would bet that 225,000 out of a city of 230,000 doesn't either)

You young people from DTJC are the ones who should be reading these public notices....you have the energy and smarts to get things done!!

(buy support the JJ)

There are discussions raging on a number of threads about various aspects of the budget - and you can't really talk about taxes or the budget without involving the other.

I think this thread is confusing - it seemed like it was about how effective the city's public notices are.

What would be great is if the city had a website where they posted things other than a couple of pictures of themselves and a phone number that will often lead to a dead end. Why on earth isn't there a calendar tab that lists EVERY meeting the city is holding for the day/week/month? I challenge anyone to go onto the city's site and find where the next meeting of the budget committee, the ABC board and the tax enhancement committees are posted.

Saying you've fulfilled your obligations under the sunshine act by posting a notice in the middle of the classified section of the Jersey Journal is disingenuous, at best. The city has a website. People use computers (and probably don't read the JJ classifieds.) If you really want to promote transparency and inform the public of the happenings of their government, wouldn't you use the most effective means possible? You could still use the JJ, the Reporter, smoke signals - whatever. But why not post to the website in a well-marked, easy to locate manner as well?

I know. I was thinking the same thing.
But you're right when you asked "What is 171 Mil for other expenses?"
and I add
What are sources of the "Miscellaneous Revenues?"
"Local Tax for Municipal Purposes" is going up 44 mil. Is that the new property tax? What is the breakdown of where those new taxes are coming from?
What are "Other Appropriations?"

It's hard to comment when so many item lines are so vague. Maybe that's the point.

Actually - it's a bit disappointing that everyone wants to march on town hall about their taxes, but wont comment on the budget.

I expected this post to be a hot topic.

Scream it people:
DON'T RAISE MY TAXES, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY!

Interesting analysis of the summary. Nice that people on the site could describe what it all means for the ones who don?t have a clue. Maybe someone could ask Steve F. to propose having the full budget put on the official JC site, instead of having to go down to City Hall to pick up paper copies of it. I bet you guys could really dig into it!



Notice is hereby given that the budget and tax resolution were approved by the Municipal Council of the City of Jersey City, County of Hudson on January 13, 2010.

A hearing on the budget and tax resolution will be held at the Anna Cucci Memorial Council Chambers, City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, New Jersey on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 6:00 p.m., at which time and place objections to said budget and tax resolution for the year 2010 may be presented by taxpayers or other interested persons.

Copies of the budget are available in the Office of the City Clerk, at City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, NJ, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

That equates to $83,000 per-employee.

Just add a little more color - the average benefit cost (health care, retirement funds, etc) per employee in NJ is about $42k per year per employee.

Meaning the average salary component is roughly $41k a year. Not exactly what I would call banking it.

I am sure to be within 10%.

What the hell is $171m for 'Other Expense' - I think that is a bucket that could use some additional detail. I am sure a chunk is real-estate and technology infra - but $171m???

I don?t know if you guy?s (the newcomers) get the paper copy of the Jersey Journal or not. I also don?t know if the JC public notices are published on any County/City website. It seems like the paper JJ is where the County and City (JC, Hob, Bay) place their public notices. For example: Sheriff sales, Auctions, Bids for contracts, Issuance/Renewal of Entertainment Licenses (and the hearing dates if you want to object them), Zoning Notices, interesting stuff.

Like today Weds 2/10 there is notice for : An NHRFR (North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue) auction where you can pick up a few fire trucks, jeeps, or cars. (what hipster wouldn?t want a freaking fire truck?) A JC ?Notice to Bidders? to furnish Automotive Batteries. A whole crap load of license renewal application notices for all of the DTJC bars/ restaurants.


(FYI- this was in today?s paper JJ, I typed it in, I double checked it. Tried to get numbers to line up sorry, if WM can line up numbers great, or someone line them up in a reply)



PUBLIC NOTICE
CITY OF JERSEY CITY

SFY 2010 Municipal Budget
Of the City of Jersey City, County of Hudson
For the State Fiscal Year 2010

Revenue and Appropriation Summaries

Anticipated

Summary of Revenues?????????..SFY 2010 ?????. SFY 2009

1.Surplus??????????????12,096,000???.??.14,019,500
2.Total Miscellaneous Revenues???.?292,502,797?????302,238,899
3.Receipt from Delinquent Taxes???.?..?564,154??????..930,806
4.a) Local Tax for Municipal Purposes?....195,195,586?????151,215,111
..b) Addition to Local School Tax???.?.7,506,918??????7,269,075

Total Amount to be Raised by Taxes
..for Support of Municipal Budget????202,702,504?????158,484,186

..TOTAL GENERAL REVENUES???.507,865,455?????475,673,391


............................................................................Budget.......................Final Budget

Summary of Appropriations??????..?SFY 2010???.?..SFY 2009

1.Operation Expenses:Salaries & Wages??213,363,699????210,683,444
..Other Expenses???????????..171,786,283????145,834,379
2.Deferred Charges & Other Appropriations?61,162,725????..61,935,975
3.Capital Improvements??????????.544,000?????2,250,000
4.Debt Service(Include for School Purposes)...59,270,580????..53,465,620
5.Reserve for Uncollected Taxes??????.1,738,168?????1,503,973

TOTAL GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS?..507,865,455????475,673,391

Total Number of Full-Time Employees????...?2585????..??..2651

Annual Debt Service & Balance of Outstanding Debt

??????????????.General??????School??.Water

Interest ?????????..?.24,745,351????.4,835,544??n/a
Principal??????????.12,735,898???..11,085,000??..0
OUTSTANDING BALANCE.?447,031,131??..?89,660,000..........0

Notice is hereby given that the budget and tax resolution were approved by the Municipal Council of the City of Jersey City, County of Hudson on January 13, 2010.

A hearing on the budget and tax resolution will be held at the Anna Cucci Memorial Council Chambers, City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, New Jersey on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 6:00 p.m., at which time and place objections to said budget and tax resolution for the year 2010 may be presented by taxpayers or other interested persons.

Copies of the budget are available in the Office of the City Clerk, at City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, NJ, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

**************

JC History : did you ever wonder who Anna Cucci was?.(this happened while Mayor Cucci was in office they were on a three-day visit to Cuzco to participate in a sister-city celebration, the wife of the Mayor of Cuzco also died)

The wife of Jersey City Mayor Anthony Cucci, Anna, died in a tragic rail accident.

The wife of Jersey City Mayor Anthony Cucci, Anna, died in a tragic rail accident while travelling with her husband in the mountains of Peru. Jaime Vazquez, then a Jersey City Councilman, was on the same train. He perhaps was saved from serious injury by quickly lowering his head down below the back of the seat. A group of Maoist terrorists, the Shining Path, were at first believed to be responsible for the wreck. But, after a lengthy investigation, Peruvian authorities charged the engineer with operating the train while drunk.




(buy the paper JJ)