HOBOKEN – The city of Hoboken may not officially be the city of Hoboken. Well,
sort of. Be patient, we’ll explain.
City officials can’t find a codified charter that establishes how Hoboken’s government operates, so the council will vote to codify one this week at the City Council meeting, according to a spokesperson.
The city adopted a municipal governance plan in 1952, but the government failed to codify the charter approximately 60 years ago.
Council President Ravinder Bhalla is the sponsor of the legislation this week to
codify the charter, and said the ordinance is simply a “housekeeping” matter.
The government is established by the state’s Faulkner Act, and the proposed ordinance lays out how the municipal government works with regards to the mayor and council’s power, among other issues.
There was one issue in the charter that aroused a bit of concern recently among local activists wanting to force a referendum on a recent council vote to move city elections from May to November. According to the proposed charter as it is written online, elections would take place in November, leaving some to wonder if the charter would affect the current referendum process.
City spokesperson Juan Melli said that the charter should say the current council’s terms end in July 2013 and 2015, not the following January as it was written. An amended version has been sent to the City Clerk’s office, Melli said. – Ray Smith