City Council reduces Ravi Bhalla tax increase to 4.5% finalizing budget to $150.26M

This year's Hoboken budget saga, which dragged on for months, pushing the city to the brink of a state takeover, is finally over.

As expected, the compromise tax increase solution passed in a 5-3 vote, reducing the lame duck mayor's proposed 7% increase to 4.5%. 

In what has become an annual ritual, Ravi Bhalla introduces his budget with a large tax increase, withholding details from the City Council. Then the legislative body scrambles to find savings and introduce reductions.

In this instance, the stakes were even higher with a state takeover looming over Hoboken. In 2008, the state appointed Judy Tripodi, who was then late, as the fiscal monitor to oversee the city's finances. 

Tripodi didn't trust the press, but for one 🐴, giving an exclusive to this editor announcing Hoboken taxes were going down. 

It caused an upheaval, upending one campaign's strategy, saying the opposite, and sending then-councilwoman Dawn Zimmer into the mayor's office. 

The upheaval at present saw scathing remarks with First Ward Councilman Paul Presinzano blasting mayoral candidate, Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, saying, "... maybe you just basically said if you're elected mayor, you're gonna raise the taxes-that's what you just said... For eight years, you sat up here and followed (Ravi Bhalla) the mayor's budget through, so don't sit here and get on a soapbox."



For more on this story, please see the Hudson County View. 





 

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