HOBOKEN —Before the Hoboken City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m., the Hoboken Policeman’s Benevolent Association and Police Superior Officers Association will gather at 6 p.m. at City Hall to oppose the city’s layoff plan which will affect 37 police officers.
In early August, the city received approval from the New Jersey Civil Service Commission for a layoff plan regarding city employees and the Hoboken Police Department. Under the plan, 18 city workers and 18 police officers will be laid off. The plan also calls for 19 senior police officers to be demoted. The intention is for the city to save $2.5 million in the city payroll.
The layoffs have caused controversy, most recently evoking statements from groups such as the NAACP – Hoboken branch, and the P.B.A. Many critics of the plan point to the surplus of the city as a point of contention against the plan. The city surplus contains $11.8 million of unrestricted funds and $8.1 million as reserved funds from previous overspending.
New Jersey State PBA President Anthony Wieners will join the Hoboken PBA and Police Superior Officers Association at the gathering on Wednesday, according to a press release.