In this newsletter:

• Budget proposal lowering the tax increase to 10.5%
• STOPPED: A concerning, proposed zoning change for residential neighborhoods
• Rebuild By Design road closures & traffic updates
• Grand Street Bike Lane PILOT Update
• Delivery robots coming to Hoboken?
• World Cup-related bar hour changes
• Fridays @ 5 this Friday!
• Hold the Date - 6/6 Planting Party!

BUDGET PROPOSAL:  LOWERING TAX INCREASE TO 10.5%

Last week, CW Diane Imus, CP Ruben Ramos, and I introduced another 2026 municipal budget amendment proposal.  This time it would reduce the proposed municipal tax rate increase to 10.5% from the mayor’s introduced budget with an approximate 18% increase.  

Our amendment proposal (click to read the summary) included approximately $2M in targeted reductions across overtime, healthcare, departmental spending, and operational efficiencies.  

Additionally, we have proposed reducing the reliance on surplus by $2.4M annually to responsible levels that we feel are sustainable going forward.

Combined, these changes seek to reduce the impact on residents while still protecting the City’s long-term financial stability. As Diane said best at our last Council meeting: “We should be doing everything we can to reduce the tax burden on residents.”

Over the past several weeks, we worked closely with our Council colleagues and the administration to incorporate feedback and refine the proposal. The amendment seeks to lessen the tax burden, rebuild surplus reserves to healthier levels, reduce reliance on surplus funding, and better position Hoboken heading into next year’s budget cycle.

In the end, we decided not to move forward with a vote on the amendment at the City Council meeting last week so discussions could continue and the proposal could be further refined before the next Council meeting.

Where things stand now

Although our proposal was the only detailed amendment formally proposed that night, CM Russo and CM Presinzano also submitted more of a framework for discussion with the administration to identify additional possible cuts. They are meeting this week to discuss those ideas further, and I am hopeful additional reductions will come from that process.

Our proposal already incorporates some of these concepts, including healthcare savings and eliminating the Director of Social Services position through an administrative reorganization.

Many of the concepts CM Russo and CM Presinzano hope to discuss - including labor negotiations, healthcare changes, and operational efficiencies - are part of broader conversations we have been having around long-term structural changes, and savings.

But as I have said before, many cannot realistically be implemented within this budget cycle, and some could impact services or financial stability if pursued too aggressively.

Ultimately, the budget needs five votes.

Right now, Diane, Ruben and I are at approximately 10.5%. Mike and Paul are pushing for lower. Other members of the Council submitted an alternative proposal today that I have not yet had the opportunity to review. But Diane, Ruben and I remain focused on getting the number as low as reasonably possible while still protecting the City’s long-term financial stability.

So... more work to do.

STOPPED: PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE FOR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS

You did it!Your voices against this proposal directly resulted in the sponsors - CM Cohen and CP Ramos - pulling this from the agenda. That means it is “dead in the water”.  And the Planning Board meeting for monday is cancelled.

This is EXACTLY why I send these newsletters.  To INFORM.  To shine a light on issues that would be important to you - good or bad.   And to encourage you to make your voices heard.  And that is exactly what you did.  Let me here you say:

MORE VOICES ARE BETTER!

Your voice matters.

REBUILD BY DESIGN ROAD CLOSURES & TRAFFIC UPDATES

Actually, the picture above says it all!  I will come back with more color as we get closer to the July 6th closure of 14th and Washington.  Similar to when it was closed for test pitting, buses will be rerouted.  But because it will be a full 24 / 7 closure for a few months, there will be a temporary traffic light installed at 15th and Washington to help ensure safety and traffic flow in the area.

More to come….

GRAND STREET BIKE LANE PILOT UPDATE

I chair the Transportation and Parking Committee, where bike and transportation infrastructure issues are discussed. At our meeting this week, I asked Parking Director Ryan Sharp for an update on the pilot bike lane installed on Grand Street between 3rd and 8th Streets.

As many of you know, the rollout last fall was controversial because it was implemented by the Bhalla Administration without public input or notice to the City Council.  

The current plan, as described to our Committee, is as follows:

• Director Sharp will be meeting with CM Russo in the coming week to discuss the pilot further and the concerns his 3rd Ward residents have raised.
• The City currently expects the pilot to remain in place for approximately one year in order to evaluate operations across all seasons, particularly the warmer months when bike usage is expected to increase.
• The City also plans to continue collecting public feedback through surveys and input from neighbors.

I have spoken several times over the past few months with Director Sharp and Assistant Director Greg Francese about issues raised by residents. I do believe they are making a good faith effort to address some of the operational concerns, including modifications related to parking delineation and holding off on portions of the final striping and painting so adjustments remain possible.

I recognize there are many residents who strongly support safer bike infrastructure and better connections across Hoboken, particularly for families and younger riders. The challenge, as always, is balancing competing needs:  including bike safety, traffic flow, parking, loading, emergency access, and neighborhood quality of life.

I also shared with Director Sharp that I believe waiting a full year to determine the long-term path forward is too long, and I will continue advocating for a clearer direction and timeline as quickly as possible.

DELIVERY ROBOTS COMING TO HOBOKEN?

A couple of weeks ago, CW Imus, CM Cohen and I joined our Hoboken Parking Utility team for a demonstration of the small robotic delivery vehicles many of you may have seen operating in Jersey City -  the ones that look like they came straight out of The Jetsons.

CM Presinzano has been working on an ordinance to establish a pilot program to test them here in Hoboken. And I think that approach - walk before we run - makes sense.

I can certainly see the potential benefits. These robots may provide a safer alternative to some of the challenges we currently face with delivery e-bikes, and they could become even more relevant once the State’s new e-bike licensing and insurance requirements take effect in July.

At the same time, I still have a bit of PTSD from the rollout of e-scooters and how quickly they overwhelmed sidewalks and public spaces before proper guardrails were in place.

So far, the demonstration was encouraging. But there are still real operational questions that would need to be worked through - particularly around safely navigating busy intersections and heavy pedestrian traffic.

That is why starting with a limited pilot program, likely in the 1st Ward, seems like the right approach before considering anything broader citywide.  We are working to get this on the agenda for next week’s City Council meeting.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

WORLD CUP RELATED BAR HOUR CHANGES

Governor Mikie Sherrill came to Mulligans in Hoboken last week and announced that municipalities will have discretion to relax bar and restaurant operating hours during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

But not every town is like Hoboken.

Our bars and restaurants are already permitted to remain open until 2am most nights and until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.

With that context in mind, the Hoboken City Council agreed to move forward with a much narrower approach: temporarily allowing bars to remain open until 3am on weekdays when there is a late World Cup match beginning at 11pm or midnight EST. In reality, this is expected to impact only four nights during the tournament.

I also raised what I believe is a technical drafting issue in the ordinance language regarding how the overnight hours are referenced, and I expect we will work to clarify that language before final adoption.

FRIDAYS @5 THIS FRIDAY!

Our last Fridays @ 5 gathering at With Love Valentina may have been our best one yet.

Despite being about as far from the 2nd Ward as possible, we still had approximately 65 people attend from all over Hoboken, including our Congressman. People came for conversation and community, stayed for the drinks and food, and hopefully discovered another great local business to support.

Thank you again to Eddie and Vanessa and the entire team at With Love Valentina for hosting us.  And to Ruben for being my amazing co-host!

I think this week we may be heading back to Moran’s with Liz as my co-host.  Where and how it all started last September. With the weather finally turning, the pull of the corner of 5th and Garden may simply be too hard to resist.

More details soon. Keep an eye out for the text!  If you don’t get them and want to, sign up here:

HOLD THE DATE - 6/6 PLANTING PARTY!

One last thing... we are returning to 14th & Hudson to plant again!  This time I am partnering with OurTern and the City to continue improving the area with more permanent plantings, pollinator-friendly landscaping, grasses and mulch.

We had a blast doing this last year - even in the rain - and I hope you will join us again to help make the neighborhood a little more beautiful.  Let me know if you are interested and I will include a signup link once finalized.

Congratulations if you got this far!This definitely was one of my longest yet.  In the over ten years I have been on the City Council, one thing has never changed.  I always want to Engage with, Inform, and Advocate for you.  This is my north star for public service, and it won’t change.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss this or anything else important to you by email or by phone at 201-208-1674.  Thank you for reading!