Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the holiday season and are finding a way to keep warm with the recent cold weather. Please allow me the opportunity to update you with several community news items:
January 6th Hoboken City Council Meeting by Beth Mason (and Staff)
2010-2011 Budget
At last night’s City Council meeting members of the public had the opportunity to comment on the 2010-2011 budget for the first time. The overall feelings of the residents who spoke was that the budget needs more cuts in order to provide more substantial tax relief and that taxpayers must have access to budget documents and details. When the budget was introduced by Finance Director Nicholas Trasente residents were assured that budget documents would be made available via the City of Hoboken’s website. It is imperative that this occurs so that we can continue to ensure that this will be an open, transparent and inclusive process for all the residents of Hoboken.
Also, last night 4th Ward Councilman and Finance Committee Chairman Michael Lenz announced a budget workshop that will take place on Saturday January 30th from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The City Council will hear from directors and department heads on their appropriation requests, as well as on their recommendations to reduce the budget through efficiencies and spending cuts. Although this workshop is open for public attendance, comments by the public will be heard at a separate meeting to follow at a later date. Should you have any questions, concerns or suggestions about the budget before or after the January 30th workshop please feel free to contact me for assistance.
Illegal Apartments
Last night I introduced a resolution regarding illegal apartments. Illegal apartments present both a safety and financial challenge for the people of Hoboken. Often these dwellings do not provide a suitable safety exit for tenants and in the event of a fire or other emergency, and are sometimes well behind on safety codes and regulations. Rescue workers are often unaware the apartment even exists, which makes it difficult for them to help anyone inside.
In addition, illegal apartments allow landlords to exploit tenants, fellow residents and the City of Hoboken. Because of the unlawful nature of the apartment, tenants are not protected by any rent control laws or safeguards. In addition, the landlords collect rent from tenants while not paying property taxes to the city on that unit, while consuming city services. In the current financial situation Hoboken is facing we must do everything possible to reduce the tax burden for Hoboken residents.
Many surrounding communities have passed illegal apartment legislation which has helped make the community safer and helped collect revenue through fines on offending landlords. My proposed resolution was sent to committee for further review and I will continue to provide updates as it moves closer to being enacted into law.
Citizen Service Act
On Tuesday, Governor Jon Corzine signed the “Citizen Service Act” into law. This groundbreaking legislation paves the way for a more open, transparent and inclusive process for appointment to local boards and agencies in every municipality throughout New Jersey.
As a result of this law, municipal clerks are required to maintain a record of all existing vacancies for public boards or commissions and provide this list to residents free of charge. Residents can then fill out an application to apply for a vacant position. If the resident is not selected for the board or commission their application is to be kept on file with the City Clerk for an opportunity to serve in the future.
In 2007, I sponsored an ordinance to adopt the Citizen Service Act that was approved unanimously by the Hoboken City Council. In a year where our city faced a state takeover and corruption in city hall, it is refreshing to see that Hoboken helped spearhead statewide change by passing real reform right here in our home town first.
I look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor and my Council colleagues so we can make Hoboken the example of how open, honest and fair government should operate. ◦
