Hoboken mayor to state: We can’t pay our bills

HOBOKEN — As a result of the Monday evening council meeting in which line item transfers were not approved by members of the Hoboken council minority, the city will not be able to pay firefighters as of Nov. 30, and it can’t pay two major legal expenses, according to a letter sent from Mayor Dawn Zimmer to the Department of Community Affairs.
Zimmer has five allies on the nine member council, but needs six votes to approve a budget transfer or bond item.
Click here to read the letter. For prior coverage of the meeting, see previous stories on the HudsonReporter website, linked below.
“The operation of our City is being held hostage by a political minority seeking to damage the interests of the city of Hoboken and all of its residents due to their misguided belief that hurting our City, its taxpayers and its employees will somehow benefit them politically,” Zimmer said in her letter.
The council minority members said they wanted an explanation as to why money was being moved in the budget. The resolution packet for the meeting outlined where money would be moved, but did not specifically say why. However, council members allied with the mayor and other outside sources have said that a budget transfer is routine business at this time of the budget year.
Zimmer asked the council to move $2 million within the approximately $100 million budget. For more, keep reading HudsonReporter.com. — Ray Smith

© 2000, Newspaper Media Group