In an editorial, Hoboken mayoral candidate Dini Ajmani explains why she believes the city council made a mistake in granting the police benevolent association (PBA) an eight-year contract last week.
Did the City Council of Hoboken just put us on a path to a smaller police force, fiscal unsustainability, and higher taxes? The answer: Likely.
Last week, the Hoboken City Council approved an eight-year contract with the Police Benevolent Association. Not a single council member voted “no,” two abstained.
I firmly believe our men and women in uniform deserve a fair wage. With inflation and rising cost of living, New Jersey is becoming increasingly unaffordable.
But the deal that was struck by the sitting members clearly didn’t account for an impact on current residents.
Under this contract, police officers will see an increase in their salaries starting with 3% in 2025 increasing to 10% in 2031. In eight years, Hoboken will be paying 43% more for the same service it receives today.
The salary increases will amount to an additional $22 million in spending for the city over this period.
Because of these increases in salaries, the city will need to make an even higher contribution to the Police and Fire Retirement System which could be an additional $9 million.
Contract negotiations with the firemen, police supervisors, and public employees are pending. It is highly likely these negotiations will result in similar increases in salaries.
Today, spending on just public safety salaries and benefits is $66 million, which is 45% of the budget.
If taxes stay at the current level, in eight years, these expenses will rise to 60% of the budget, leaving just 40% available for other critical needs, such as providing basic services – cleaning the streets, trash hauling, and park maintenance.
The Hoboken City Council faces some tough choices in the coming years with really only one outcome: if we keep the current level of services, there will be a tax hike of almost 40% over the next eight years.
In the end, it is the job of our council to think through these decisions. While I support any effort to make Hoboken affordable to those who serve our city, the council owes Hobokenites an explanation on how they plan to pay for it and exactly who pays for it.
This approval by the council will especially hurt our residents on a fixed income who cannot sustain such steep tax increases.
Right now, the council is applauding a short-sighted victory that could actually jeopardize our city and her safety in the future.