April 14, 2025
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This is a one-topic newsletter — something that has been weighing on me that I finally had the chance to put down in writing. It’s about public safety, fiscal responsibility, and the long-term financial commitments being pushed forward without a budget.
It’s important — and timely. Because this Wednesday, the City Council will vote on two more pieces of legislation that could cost taxpayers close to $100 million over the next eight years. Details for that meeting — and a special meeting happening tonight — are included at the end of this newsletter.
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Public safety isn’t optional —and neither is fiscal responsibility.
Keeping our community safe and being responsible with how we spend your tax dollars are two of the most important responsibilities of local government. How do we know when a public safety investment is responsible — and when it’s not?
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Ask the right questions.
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Understand the costs.
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Make informed decisions.
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In This Update:
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Public Safety: The Progress We’ve Made
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What’s Happening — and Why It Matters
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The $92M Price Tag for Taxpayers
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The Ripple Is Already Starting
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What I’m Calling For Now
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PUBLIC SAFETY: THE PROGRESS WE’VE MADE
The public spoke — and the city has responded. Since the tragedy in Church Square Park on Halloween, we’ve added better lighting, new security cameras, and a full-time police presence. Neighbors have told me that presence has made all the difference. We’re also organizing a community watch program in the area.
We’re finally seeing the kind of community policing we’ve been asking for. The recent backfilling of about 20 long-vacant positions has brought more foot patrols, more officers on bikes, and increased enforcement of quality-of-life issues — like e-bike riders not wearing safety vests. (After a year of pushback, HPD is now celebrating the Tests &Vests ordinance I co-authored.)
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In December, the City Council also approved 10 new foot patrol officers, scheduled to come online in 2026. I’ve been an advocate for these kinds of improvements year after year. I know they matter. And I know they work.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW - AND WHY IT MATTERS
Mayor Bhalla — now a lame duck campaigning for higher office — is pushing through a series of long-term decisions with little concern for the consequences.
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A police contract that has unsustainable terms, likely to set precedent for every other union.
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An ordinance to add 28 more police officers on top of the 10 recently approved.
Together, these two actions would cost Hoboken taxpayers nearly $100 million over eight years, with sizable, annual tax increases every single year — and still no explanation for how we’ll pay for them.
And he’s doing this:
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Without presenting a 2025 budget — now 45+ days past the state’s legal deadline
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Without a financial plan to assess long-term impacts or union parity
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Without support from his own financial team — BA Jason Freeman resigned shortly after, effective May 7
That alone should raise red flags.
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THE $92 MILLION PRICE TAG FOR TAXPAYERS
A $50 Million Police Contract that Breaks All the Norms
At a special Monday night meeting on March 3rd, the City Council approved an eight-year contract for Hoboken’s rank-and-file police — the longest in city history and one that ignores state precedent and best practices. It will cost taxpayers $50 million and it’s already triggering pressure for other city unions to demand more.
Key Contract Terms (vs. Typical NJ Contracts):
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Term: 8 years (vs 2-3 typical)
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Raises: 5.5% avg, w/10% in Year 8 (vs. 1.5%–2.5% COLA typical)
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Note: Step increases of 10–15% are already built in — making Hoboken’s total raises far higher
New Jersey discourages long contracts because they limit a city’s ability to respond to changing conditions.
I had COVID that weekend, but I called in to the meeting because I felt strongly that we needed to hit pause. I was the only Council member to speak — not even the ordinance sponsors CM Cohen and CW Jabbour did. CM Presinzano and I both abstained after spending the weekend reviewing the numbers and getting no answers. We knew it wasn’t just costly — it was destabilizing, with precedent-setting impacts for every contract that follows.
And it was all approved without a budget, without a financial analysis, and without support from the city’s financial team.
Here is how my colleagues voted:
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The $100 Yellow Vest: Taxpayers on the Hook
You know the off duty police officers you see in yellow vests at job sites? The contract also raised off-duty police rates from $80 to $100/hour, and created a new $145/hour rate for private jobs. That means if a resident needs to block a street for a sewer repair, it now costs $65 more per hour.
When it’s a city project — like a water main or street repair — taxpayers are footing the bill.
It’s unconscionable. There’s no other word.
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ARE 28 MORE OFFICERS NECESSARY (FOR $42M)??
Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe we only need 10.
But with little to no supporting information, Mayor Bhalla introduced an ordinance to add 28 more officers — on top of the 10 already approved. The cost: $42 million over the next eight years. It passed 5–3 on first reading and comes up for a final vote this Wednesday.
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But here’s the thing: we’ve recently filled 20 positions that were long vacant, and we’re seeing the results —stronger community policing, more visibility, better enforcement. Additional hires are still coming online, and another 10 are already approved to start in 2026. So the question isn’t whether we support public safety. It’s: do we need 28 more officers right now?
This proposal alone would require an average 1.5% tax increase every year for eight years (on top of what would be a 2% annual increase for the police contract). I’m curious what the sponsors — Councilmembers Russo and Jabbour — plan to pay for it with, because no financial analysis has been shared with the Council or the public.
Let me be clear: we can all say we support public safety and want more police. I do. But these hires wouldn’t even start until late 2026 — so why rush a $42 million commitment now, with no budget, no analysis, and no clear plan?
And this proposal directly contradicts the mayor’s own words. In a letter last week explaining his delayed budget, Mayor Bhalla wrote:
"Given the current economic climate, all hiring is being frozen until we introduce and adopt the 2025 municipal budget."
Yet here we are — with no budget in sight— being asked to approve $42 million in new, long-term spending.
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THE RIPPLE IS ALREADY STARTING
Remember those $100 yellow vests?
This week, the Council is now being asked to amend the contract with Police Superiors to match the off-duty pay rate given to rank-and-file officers in the PBA contract — increasing it by 25% to $100/hour and the new $145/hour rate for private jobs.
This is exactly how poorly thought-out financial decisions start to snowball — one unsustainable agreement triggering the next.
What’s next?
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WHAT $92M MEANS FOR YOUR TAXES
You know how we typically fight to keep municipal tax increases in the 2–4% range each year?
Just these two pieces of legislation — the already approved police contract and the ordinance to add 28 more officers —will require an average 3.5% tax increase every year for the next eight years, totaling nearly 30% by 2032.
And that’s before other unions — representing roughly 60% of the city’s budget — come forward asking for the same terms. Below is a summary of personnel costs taken from the 2024 Hoboken Municipal Budget:
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They’re all looking at the police contract and asking: “Where’s ours?”
And honestly? I’d be asking too — especially when a lame duck mayor and three mayoral candidates are signaling they’re ready to hand it over without asking how we pay for it.
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WHAT I’M CALLING FOR NOW
These decisions will shape Hoboken’s future for the next decade — and they deserve the same level of diligence and transparency we all called for when the City Council unanimously asked Mayor Bhalla to stop delaying, and introduce the 2025 budget.
That’s why I’m asking my colleagues to join me in pressing pause on the two key votes scheduled for this week:
We owe it to our residents to take a step back and make sure we’re doing this right. And I want to thank those who have already begun raising these concerns — your voices matter.
Let’s:
Get the budget first.
Understand the costs.
Make informed decisions.
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Reminder of the two City Council meetings this week — including a special meeting tonight:
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Monday, April 15 at 7:00 PM – Special Virtual Meeting. Re-vote on Western Edge plan amendments tied to the litigation settlement involving Mayor Bhalla’s unauthorized conduct. 👉 Here’s a recap of how we got here. There’s a general public portion if you’d like to speak. Watch live on Hoboken’s YouTube. To participate via Zoom: Join here
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Wednesday, April 17 at 7:00 PM – Regular City Council Meeting. Watch live on Hoboken’s YouTube
Have a great week and as always, please share this with everyone you know who may be interested and reach out any time on any issue important to you: 201-208-1674 or [email protected].
Tiffanie Fisher
Hoboken City Councilwoman
Engage. Inform. Advocate.
“More Voices are Better”
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