For the second year in a row, the $54.3 billion New Jersey budget allocates $24 million for a Jersey City “art museum,” which has to be the Centre Pompidou.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The $24 million to the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency is the largest dollar amount earmarked for Hudson County, the state budget says, which was not posted online until this afternoon after a tumultuous few days to pass the spending plan in time to avoid a shutdown.
The project, which is a major part of the proposed revitalization of Journal Square, doesn’t have a budget yet and hasn’t been mentioned much since eight city officials traveled to France in February – a trip paid for by private donors.
The second largest allocation in Hudson was $12.3 million for the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, with three others receiving $10 million in state aid.
New Jersey City University, “operating aid” for the Township of North Bergen, and capital improvements for CarePoint Health’s three hospitals – the Bayonne Medical Center, Hoboken Unviersity Medical Center, and Christ Hospital, all received $10 million.
Additionally, the Jersey City Medical Center received $8.6 million for emergency department renovations, $7 million put aside for a Hudson County reentry pilot program, West New York will have an extra $6 million for an overpass project, and Union City will get $5 million for social services.
Overall, the state budget includes $103 million for Hudson County projects and initiatives.
Republican state lawmakers were angered by the fact that the line items were not explained to the public, which has been common practice in the past.
“A dominos club got money. A lacrosse association got money. None of these projects — not a single one of them — was ever explained during the budget process by the governor who proposed them. He refused to identify who asked for the money,” state Senator Michael Testa (R-1) said, as the New Jersey Monitor reported.
No sense of responsibility.
If we only had a real Republican Party.
This is probably why Hoboken replaced Annette Chaparro. She’s done a lot of nothing. Good riddance
I’m skeptical but think Jon Allen will at least do something for a Hoboken
Hoboken didn’t replace Chaparro, Ravi did. He put in one of his most notorious flunkies. If you only knew.
Nice to see NJ still holds the record for most corrupt politicians.