10/15/2008:

Tonight the Dave Roberts budget deficit is going to hit Hoboken like a ton of bricks, but you won’t find much information about it on the city website. All you will find there is an agenda with no backup, despite the fact that resolutions and ordinances are supposed to be posted on the city website for public view on the Friday before a meeting.

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Here is what is on the agenda, and what is known about it:

  • Second Reading and Public Hearing on ordinance DR-378 amending chapter 20A of the code of the City of Hoboken, “Professional Services Contracts”. This is the result of a settlement of litigation launched by People for Open Government, who challenged the fact that the city (Mayor Roberts) was not enforcing the Pay-to-Play ban for public contractors properly.

  • Resolution 1: Councilwoman Beth Mason drafted this resolution urging the Port Authority Trans-Hudson System (PATH) to increase evening, weekend and holiday train service to and from Hoboken. Mason has been working on this with Jersey City councilman Steve Fulop, and is joined on the resolution by co-sponsors Dawn Zimmer and Theresa Castellano.

  • Resolution 2: Authorizing emergency temporary appropriations for the SFY 2009 budget (because one again no budget has been adopted, and the process has been held up by the state.)

  • Resolution 3: Awarding a contract for the SFY 2009 Audit “based on the lowest responsible bidder”. Those are the words directly from “The State” which is apparently throwing out earlier bids in favor of a contractor known as a huge Democratic Party campaign contributor. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise when you read the Hoboken411 story about “The State.”

  • Resolution 4: Authorizing estimated tax bills for the first and second quarter of SFY 2009.

    THIS IS THE BIGGY!! New “Fiscal Monitor” Judy Tripodi is telling the council to set a tax levy that would pay for the massive Dave Roberts budget deficits accrued in both the 2008 and 2009 budget years. This could mean a tax levy that could nearly double from 2007 levels. All this thanks to the Roberts overspending that has pushed the budget from $52 million in 2001 when he was elected Mayor to well over $100 million today.

Will the council go along with it?
Will Tripodi even be at the meeting to answer the council’s questions about her plan?
Will the council grow some cohones and start using it’s powers to put people under oath for some real budget hearings to find out where all this money is really going?

The meeting starts at 7pm at City Hall. The agenda is short, but the faces will be long.

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