Jersey City Municipal Council Caucus Meeting - April 21, 2026
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Jersey City Municipal Council Caucus Meeting - April 21, 2026
The Jersey City Municipal Council held a caucus meeting on April 21, 2026, starting at 4:04 p.m. with seven members present, later reaching all nine. The meeting covered a wide range of items including contract renewals, grant-funded equipment purchases, affordable housing initiatives, and discussions on FIFA-related costs, SID budgets, and the creation of a legislative council position.
Consent Calendar
- Resolution 10.47 (26-236): Renewal of contract with Employee Family Protection Inc. for voluntary supplemental benefits (zero cost to city). Discussion included concerns about limiting providers vs. open access; council asked for an update on historical practices.
- Resolution 10.48 (26-237): Award of contract to New Pathway Counseling Services for employee assistance program ($65,000). Approved after discussion about lack of local bidders.
- Resolution 10.29 (26-218): MOU with Lafayette Senior Living for congregate senior lunch program. No questions.
- Resolution 10.30 (26-219): Purchase of 12 radios for ESU from PMC Associates ($2,300 each) using 2024 UASI grant (no city cost).
- Resolution 10.31 (26-220): Purchase of six triband radios from Motorola ($84,890.10) for FIFA-related assignments, also UASI grant funded. Council requested information on FIFA cost impacts and potential reimbursement.
- Resolution 10.32 (26-221): Purchase of bulk chlorine for pools from Mainline Commercial Pools (no cost details provided).
- Resolution 10.46 (26-235): Concession contract with Lyft (Citi Bike) for bike share system – three years with two one-year extensions, no city cost, 1% revenue share over $2M (split 60/40 with Hoboken). Council requested five-year revenue/usage data.
- Resolution 10.21 (26-??): Application to Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund for acquisition of 128 Glenwood Ave (up to $750K). Council expressed support but noted no current city funding commitment for the gap.
- Resolution 10.27 (26-216): UEZ administrative budget for FY27 first half ($365,836). Approved.
- Resolution 10.28 (26-??): Acceptance of $5,000 grant for Farmers Market Nutrition Program.
- Resolution 10.45 (26-??): Authorization to study a redevelopment area at Newark and Baldwin Ave (county-owned parcels). Council supported as a step toward affordable housing.
- Resolution 10.1 (26-190): Cancellation of outstanding checks from 2015-2018, returning $356,000 to general fund.
- Resolution 10.9 (26-198): Payment of $57,241.25 to NW Financial for services rendered without a current contract. Council raised concerns about precedent and requested documentation of work requests.
- Resolution 10.43 (26-232): Declaration of intent to establish a legislative council position. Corporation counsel expressed legal concerns; council plans further discussion.
- Various appointments and recognitions were approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were recorded during the caucus meeting.
Discussion Items
- FIFA World Cup Impact: Council requested detailed information on the number of JCPD officers assigned, overtime costs, and whether FIFA would reimburse the city. Multiple council members expressed frustration with lack of communication from the state and FIFA.
- City Bike Contract: Council questioned the 1% revenue share threshold and whether the city could have negotiated better terms. Staff noted that the prior contract cost the city money, while this one is net positive. Additional data on enforcement and bike education was requested.
- 128 Glenwood Avenue Acquisition: Council discussed the gap between the appraised value ($475K) and potential county award (up to $750K), and the need for city funds to close the deal. Community support was noted, but no commitment to city funding was made.
- Unauthorized Work by NW Financial: Council debated whether to pay $57,241 for work done after the contract expired. The BA explained that vendors often continue work at department request; council requested documentation of the requests and considered line-item voting.
- SID Budgets: Several council members urged the administration to place the Historic Downtown and Central Avenue SID budgets on the next meeting agenda, noting that the budgets were passed over a month ago and uncertainty hampers their operations. The BA committed to meetings before the next council meeting.
- Legislative Council Position: Corporation counsel Sarah alerted the council to potential legal conflicts under the Faulkner Act, but offered a dedicated attorney within the law department as an alternative. Council members emphasized the need for independent counsel for checks and balances.
Key Outcomes
- Votes: All resolutions and ordinances listed above were discussed and will be voted on at the formal council meeting on April 22, 2026. No formal votes were taken during the caucus.
- Directives:
- Administration to provide a report on historical practices for supplemental benefit providers (by Wednesday).
- Administration to provide FIFA-related cost estimates and grant fund balances.
- Administration to schedule meetings with Historic Downtown and Central Avenue SIDs before the next council meeting.
- Administration to provide documentation of work requests for NW Financial invoices.
- Fireworks resolution (Veterans Golf Association event) to be added as a late item for the April 22 meeting.
- Next Steps: The council will consider a late item to reintroduce the fireworks resolution. The legislative council position will be further researched and discussed before any ordinance introduction.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, everyone, we're about to get started. If we can find our seats, silence our cell phones, close the back and side doors, please. I'd greatly appreciate it. All right. Good afternoon, everyone. We are on the record. Today is Monday, the 20th day of April in the year 2026. This is a city council caucus meeting of the Jersey City Municipal Council. We had a scheduled 4 p.m. start. The clock on my cell phone is showing 404 p.m. May we have a roll call for the commencement of this meeting, Council Person Brooks. Present. Councilperson Super here. Council person Efros. Present. Councilperson Little. Not here. Councilperson Gilmore. Not here yet. Councilperson Singh. Councilperson Griffin. Councilperson Lavaro. Here. And Council President Ridley. Here. We have seven council members in attendance at 404 p.m. on behalf of Council President Denise Ridley and the members of the municipal council in accordance with New Jersey public laws of 1975, Chapter 231, the Open Public Meetings Act, also known as the Sunshine Law. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the posting on the bulletin board of the first floor, the city hall, the annual notice, which is the schedule of meetings and caucuses of the municipal council for the calendar year 2026 and filed in the office of the city clerk on Tuesday, November 25th, 2025. In addition, at the time of its preparation, the agenda of this meeting was similarly disseminated on Friday, April 17th, 2026 at 7.50 p.m. to the mayor, municipal council, business administrator, corporation council, and the newspapers and post it on the city's website so I can certify as to our total compliance with the Sunshine Law. And I will mark councilperson little present at 4.05 p.m. So we now have eight council members in attendance at 405. I'm gonna turn over the meeting to our council president. Good afternoon, everyone. Oh getting a little feedback. Good afternoon, everyone. We will jump right in and we'll start with HR Khadija McNair. I have two items uh resolutions to present before you. The first item number is 10.47. This is resolution 26236. This is a resolution authorizing the renewal of a contract with employee family protection inc to provide voluntary supplemental benefits to active benefit eligible employees. This is a one-year contract. The city uh would like to exercise its third and final option to renew the contract with EFP. The contract uh term is from April 1st, 2026 to March 31st, 2027. It's a zero cost to the city. I'm sorry, DJ. Yes. Um so this is 10.47, correct? Correct.
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