HOBOKEN —Hoboken Revolt, a taxpayer activist group in Hoboken, asked the administration of Mayor Dawn Zimmer last week to release various audits of City Hall spending and efficiency, in preparation for next month’s budget hearings.
A letter from the group said, “One of the objectives of Hoboken Revolt is to drive a significant reduction in property taxes without compromising the safety and soundness of our town. Obtaining forensic and efficiency audits of city agencies and departments is an essential first step toward identifying cost savings, while ensuring that we continue to meet the needs of the community.”
She added, “Any completed audit reports should be released immediately to facilitate meaningful public discussion at the upcoming budget hearings. The Hoboken Revolt Steering Committee anticipated with great interest the release of the Public Safety audit report last winter. The report recommended workforce reductions in the Police and Fire Departments by mid-2009. You yourself, as candidate for mayor last March, called for release of this audit report and Ms. Judy Tripodi indicated that the final report would be available to the City Council by April 1. Nine months later, to our knowledge, the Public Safety audit report has yet to be released to the public.”
She also wrote, “Hoboken Revolt was informed that an audit of City Hall employees was conducted. We request that any such audit report be released. If no report is available, Hoboken Revolt requests a status report regarding any such audit.”