In a meeting charged with political overtones, the City Council reprimanded the administration Wednesday for failing to prepare a capital budget improvement plan during this fiscal year.
This was the final council meeting before the contentious June primary election for county executive. The meeting began 20 minutes late because seven of the council people supporting column B in the June 4 election decided to take a publicity photo together outside. Seven out of nine of the council members are supporting Tom DeGise for county executive, while Mayor Glenn Cunningham is supporting current executive Bernard Hartnett.
Led by at-large Councilman Mariano Vega, several councilpeople complained about the delay of the annual budget plan, which focuses on refinancing bond debt and borrowing money for future projects.
“This administration is going to go a whole year without a capital budget plan,” said Ward D Councilman William Gaughan.
“We have been interviewing people in each department [for the plan],” said Carlton McGee, the city’s business administrator. He added that the plan would be in the hands of the council shortly, but could not guarantee that it would be complete by the June 30 deadline. McGee has said that the plan has taken longer than expected because of the initial trouble with the operational budget.
“It isn’t a legal requirement,” said Joanne Monahan, an attorney for the city.
“It’s almost a moral imperative,” Vega said, citing the need to restore everything in the city, from its parks to the doors of City Hall.
Jersey City residents attending the meeting disagreed with the council, charging Vega with playing political games. “We never had a budget or a capital budget on time under [Bret] Schundler,” said Yvonne Balcer, a regular attendee at council meetings. “This is pure grandstanding.”
“This is not a personal attack on the mayor,” Vega said. A chorus of chuckles emanated from the back.
“Now that Mariano wants to run for mayor, he’ll raise the issue at every chance he gets,” said Steve Pinkney, a public advocate.
“We have an extensive bonding debt,” said Council President L. Harvey Smith. “This administration is not looking to burden future councils.”
Buying property, listing UEZ locations
In other news, the council introduced an ordinance to acquire a church on 175 Montgomery St. to construct a City Hall annex. The property is now occupied by a church, but the city has prepared to offer the property owner $163,000 to buy it.
Several municipal agencies are scattered around the city under various lease agreements. City officials said that it would be cheaper to own property than to rent, and it would be more convenient to have the city’s agencies centrally located.
Also, the City Council passed a resolution that clarifies the exact boundaries of the city’s Urban Enterprise Zones (UEZs). Based on the advice of Mark Munley, director of the Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce, the city needs to draw precise lines on the map indicating what properties are included in the state-designated areas that enjoy tax breaks and grant money.
Munley said the issue came to light when some property owners who were told they were included in the UEZ program later learned that they were not. Businesses around McGinley Square, the Martin Luther King Jr., Drive Hub, and Central Avenue were questionable, Munley said. To rectify the situation, the City Council passed a resolution that defined the properties included. However, HEDC officials said that the map needs state approval before becoming permanent.