UPDATED Hoboken Says It Will Lay Off 26 Workers Amid Coronavirus
HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said Friday that the city will lay off 26 city employees in Hoboken. More than 70 were issued layoff notices in late February, even before the coronavirus pandemic spread to New Jersey.
In a Nixle alert on Friday, Bhalla wrote, "Like many other municipalities, states, and organizations across the United States, COVID-19 has had a major impact on the City of Hoboken and its finances. The city has taken on additional new costs to protect the health and safety of residents, while also realizing substantial losses in revenue due to the crisis. The negative budgetary issues from COVID-19 and an additional anticipated loss of revenue in the weeks and months to come, compounds an already difficult budget for this year."
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He wrote, "While my administration has been working tirelessly to address previous budgetary challenges and has made progress to this effect, the pandemic and our fiscal standing makes it extremely difficult to withstand such a major impact without layoffs in City Hall. As a result, we had to make the unavoidable decision to submit a plan to lay off 26 positions, which makes up approximately 4 percent of the total workforce."
He said he had a responsibility to taxpayers to "mitigate a large tax increase."
"I recognize the impact this decision will have on some of our employees and their families," he wrote, "and we will do everything possible to assist them with their next steps."
City spokesman Vijay Chaudhury said that the Office of Civil Service will determine the positions that will be a part of the layoffs.
When asked about a rumor that the Rent Leveling Office will be cut, Chaudhury said, "The City will continue to ensure that all departments and services, especially the Rent Leveling Office, continue to be provided as efficiently as possible to Hoboken residents."
At Wednesday's remote council meeting, six council members voted for a resolution urging Bhalla not to lay off city workers, and to present budget plans.
On Friday, Councilman Michael DeFusco said, "Less than 48 hours after the administration refused to provide additional insight on the budget to the City Council and failed to share preliminary numbers as promised, we’re learning, through a Nixle alert, that a portion of our workforce is being terminated next month."
He added, "Now isn’t the time to be putting people out of work. We need to properly analyze our city’s spending and make cuts that will not impact essential, day to day, city service and emergency response. Frankly, it’s unacceptable for the mayor to mislead the public about our municipal finances and use a global health crisis as an excuse for a budget deficit we learned of two months prior to the local outbreak." He said he has asked for a special meeting to get the financial information.
Bhalla also said, in the release, that current regulations and closures will continue to be in effect for all of next week through April 24, including a suspension of street sweeping. Meters will continue to be in effect to help increase parking turnover in front of essential businesses including doctors’ offices and supermarkets, he said.
As of Thursday, there were 3,518 deaths in New Jersey from coronavirus, and more than 11,000 deaths in New York City.
Hoboken started rapid COVID-19 testing on Friday. If you have symptoms and live in Hoboken, call the City Hall hotline at 201-420-5625 Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Residents who have questions about coronavirus for the state can call 211 or contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222.
Experts say that the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.
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This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch
