To avoid a possible conflict, the city has named Mark Redfield, a 30-year employee of the city, to oversee the Department of Public Works (DPW) until it is merged with the Jersey City Incinerator Authority (JCIA) early next year.
The move, officials said, comes as a result of legal advice that Oren Dabney – who currently oversees both the DPW and the JCIA – could potentially encounter conflicts during the merger process. Dabney, who had been chief executive officer of the JCIA, was tapped to serve as DPW director last summer when Michael Razzoli resigned.
Redfield would serve for up to 90 days as DPW director while the city seeks applications for a full time director to oversee the combined departments.
“I know Mark since he was born. His father is the reason I got involved in my block association,” said Councilman Richard Boggiano. “His family has been our friends forever. He is a true gentlemen and a hard worker.”
Until this appointment, Redfield served as assistant director for the Housing Code Enforcement Division and as chairman to the mayor’s Task Force for Quality of Life.
Sharing the water wealth
In another move, the City Council will siphon off some of the nearly $45 million surplus from the Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) and add $4 million into the 2015 municipal budget. This is part of an agreement that increases the annual fees that the MUA pays to the city to run water and sewerage systems.
The city collects money from the MUA each year for sewer and water operations. The move would bring into the city coffers about $27.5 million over the next 12 years.
“This money should go back to the taxpayers and not into the general fund,” said Boggiano, who also got the support of Councilman Michael Yun.
“This money should go back to the taxpayers and not into the general fund.” – Richard Boggiano
____________
The MUA gets additional income from the sale of water to other Hudson County municipalities, including Hoboken. The council has pushed the MUA, an autonomous agency, to renegotiate the extremely low fees it charges other towns.
Councilwoman Candice Osborne agreed that fees should be renegotiated with the MUA to provide the city with more money since the current fees are based on a smaller population. She said many areas of the waterfront and downtown have seen growth of residential and other uses that were not envisioned when the MUA was founded in 1998.
City Hall Annex put off again
The City Council punted when it came time to pass an ordinance that would have forged a 25-year lease to construct a new City Hall Annex on MLK Drive. The administration withdrew the ordinance for further clarification. If it is to be brought back for a future vote it must be reintroduced and given a new public hearing.
Councilman Yun raised opposition to the agreement earlier this year when he calculated that the city would end up paying $45 million for the building.
The city plans to relocate a number of departments, such as the Health and Human Services and Public Safety, in an area popularly called the HUB, with the hope this will serve as an anchor for redevelopment.
The developer, Brandywine, would construct the building and rent it to the city with the city taking over ownership after 25 years.
Yun, however, said the city would get only a shell of the building and would still be saddled with the cost of doing all the interior work. He said the city has the money to construct the annex much more economically, although city officials said the city has a deplorable record when it comes to constructing public buildings, noting they often come in over budget and very late.
McGreevey asks city for $50,000 annually to set up training
Jim McGreevey, director of the city’s Work Force Development office, asked the council to approve spending $50,000 per year for four years as a matching fund for grants that would help set up a comprehensive training program for ex-offenders in the city.
McGreevey said the Hudson County freeholders have already agreed to give Jersey City $50,000 a year for four years. The federal Department of Transportation will match the combined city and county funds, giving the program $800,000 to work with over the next four years. McGreevey said the program would help train people to meet some of the labor needs in the county.
City asked to supplement farmers’ markets food stamp program
A pilot program, proposed by the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, would partially offset the high cost associated with farmer markets fresh goods for food stamp users with a federal grant, partially matched by the city.
The City Council is expected next month to pass a resolution that would authorize the city to apply for the grant.
The program, which will be administered by a not-for profit, would allow those using food stamps to have access to goods by farmers’ markets. The city would apply for a grant that would be handed over to Wholesome Wave, a not for profit that has also applied for federal grants. The city would also be asked to match part of the grant to the tune of $10,000 with municipal funds.
Yun asked if the program is open to fruit and vegetable vendors in traditional shopping district, but was told this matching grant for food stamps would only apply to farmers markets during the pilot phase, with hopes to expand it later.
The grant from the federal government is designed to promote support for local agriculture.
Yun said, however, said people would only be able to purchase from farmers markets once a week, and only for a portion of the year. Yun has previously suggested that the city appears to be pushing an agenda to promote farmers markets over established businesses.
Councilwoman Diane Coleman questioned why the city should apply for a grant only to hand it over to the not-for profit organization.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.