The Hoboken Tax Reform Coalition

Questions from Hoboken Revolt for the City Budget Workshop: Saturday, January 30th 2010

CITY BUDGET WORKSHOP!!!!

This Saturday, January 30th, 9:30am-5p City Hall.

The city council will be meeting with the city department directors to ask questions in regards to the budget. The public can attend but will not be provided the opportunity to speak. The Hoboken Revolt Steering Committee submitted the following questions to our council
representatives. We strongly encourage all members to contact the
council with the questions you want answered!

1. Personnel Costs. We would like to see comparisons from 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 budgets from department heads for all municipal employees with the following details: Salaries, Headcount by
Department, Healthcare Costs, Cell Phones (for who, and at what cost), City Vehicles (who has them, how many are there and what are the costs). We would like to hear how each department benchmarks their budget and headcount based on other municipalities.

2. Pilots. We would like to hear an update on the management of current pilots. Is the city receiving the appropriate revenue streams? Which pilots are in arrears and how will that be corrected? What is the status on the Church Towers pilot in regards to compliance with a HUD program?

3. Reassessments and Revaluation. What is the status on assessment challenges and impact on revenue for 2010 and 2011. Are there assumptions in the budget to account for those who win assessment challenges? What is the status on revaluation?

4. Debt Management. What amount of debt should a city like ours incur? How to do we compare to other comparable cities? What
percentage of the budget is dedicated to infrastructure update? What
is going on with the municipal garage? What are the tax implications
of the hospital closing? and, of the hospital staying open?

5. Future Budgets. There is no election in the upcoming year. Can we get a commitment from the council to begin working on the 2011 budget in a timely way to insure adoption by the fall of 2010? If not,
why?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Donna Antonucci on January 31, 2010 at 9:25am: We need to follow up to make sure these questions are answered. Overall, I am impressed with the budget workshop. 8 hours calling the Directors to present on a Saturday, streaming it live online so people could watch from home (how many people watched? Anyone know?)

I do think for next time, the Directors needed to make the deadline. Lenz told them the presentations had to be online before the meeting which would have required that they be done before 4:00 on Friday (the person that puts them on the website doesn't work on Saturday). I think the Directors should be written up for not making the deadline. A projector should have been present so that we could have followed better.

I also think that giving the Directors a template for their presentation would have forced them to focus on the most pressing things first. Both the Chiefs wanted to focus on operating expenses and not salaries, wages and benefits which we all know are the items that really drive cost. We are not going to save anything by buying less paperclips.

There will be follow up sub-committee meetings. We should press for answers to our questions. I think at this point we should get a document that has each question and answer. They should do it for all the questions submitted - Hoboken Revolt's and others alike - one document.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sven on February 2, 2010 at 9:11am: Donna Antonucci: "Both the Chiefs wanted to focus on operating expenses and not salaries, wages and benefits which we all know are the items that really drive cost. We are not going to save anything by buying less paperclips."

Either they made this choice of focusing on the small operating expenses (rather then the personnel structure and associated personnel costs) the focus of their presentations intentionally to distract the Council and the public from the real problem or they did it unintentionally. In the latter case, one would have to question their fitness for the job.

In any case, you decide which one of those two you think was the reason...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tax cut advocate on February 8, 2010 at 1:30pm: What is the deal? I am sick to death of politicians spending money....when is there going to be reason.....just stop writing checks for anything but the essentials. Everyone is having to cut in there own life, if hoboken government can't do the same then you are out.

I don't care if you think this comment is counterproductive. There are no more choices, 15% across the board cut, stop giving me excuses.; ▶ Reply to This