Projections off, you know, which is uh contributing to the gap are our losses and federal funding uh impacting the city's ability to um you know balance its budget essentially because some of the offsets and and grant losses may have to be made up with city funds at this point.

So, you know, just information for for you and your team as we um get ready for the hearings.

So yeah, your your observations are spot on.

Uh although with federal grants, we have not realized as uh significant a decrease as we anticipated this year, but we do expect more next year.

Uh but you hit hit the nail on the head with the largest two drivers of uh what the uh has caused the increase.

One is health care costs, even though we are not in the state state health benefit plan and have benefited from that, uh our benefit has been realized in less of an increase, not a decrease.

So we have cut the gap uh as what the increase would be substantially based on not being in the health benefit plan and going uh to the reference base pricing uh where that option is available.

Um and we expect that more people will sign on the reference base pricing and will save us more money.

The other is that we have negotiated almost all the contracts last year.

There are about two or three that are still left.

The North Fire Officers Union is still out, nurses are still out.

I think there's one other, so there's uh three three contracts that I'm working on right now.

But the average annual increase over the term of those contracts, which are either three, four, or five years, has been two and a quarter percent increases average across all of them.

Um, and we think we've done a fairly good job with that, but we have to pay them.

You know, they the uh the cost of living goes up, the employees deserve to have some increase, uh, and they've gotten it.

I will note that management has not gotten an increase, and we have been uh uh aware that some of that burden falls on us, and we have to take that responsibility.

Uh I will look at that in next year's budget.

We'll see where that stands, but I don't anticipate that would be any retroactive increases for management as there were with the collective with the uh rank and file who have collective bargaining agreements, but your points are all well taken.

We'll have more detail as the hearings go forward.

Thank you, Aaron.

Thank you, Councilman.

I I kind of agree with uh Councilman Ramos.

Uh it'd be nice if we can maybe get a one-pager that may show Council President Crump.

I have to say I can't hear you.

Can't hear me?

I'm sorry.

Is that better?

Oh, okay.

Please please everybody in in the in the gallery so that we can talk amongst ourselves and we can hear each other.

Um with regards to uh possibility not possible, can we get uh uh maybe a one-pager of of what the significant uh increases in costs or expenses were from uh 2024 to 2025, as well as some of the grants or revenues, revenue that we did not receive in 2024 versus 2025.

So we can kind of get a little comparison.

I think that would help us with our analysis too.

We could I can certainly do that, and I will, but uh as I just indicated, the the grant differential has not materialized to be as detrimental as quite frankly I thought it would be.

We're not fine, we're not there yet all the way, and there are uh certainly rumors and threats of clawbacks.

So there's still that possibility.

I'll get that information to you, but I don't expect that you'll see uh any significant chair, councilman council.

Yeah, BA, so won't we talk about other variables that help to drive uh what it is that we have to do as a municipality?

Um the the back end of stuff, whatever the the uh fragrance is around uh grant generation.

I know that's not one end of it, but I think on our end, uh our particular focus indeed has to be around uh areas in the city that create revenue opportunities.

Uh uh one, and then assessing uh the the benefits of us being able to uh extend uh our help and services to entities that are supposed to be helping to drive uh revenue in the city uh by way of commerce and all these other things that are not happening uh to begin to scope out and look at what they're doing budgetarily about by means of what the city has provided and given, and to begin to possibly if those goals or um you know data points not being reached to be able to you know pull back and assess on that, but we really have to have a laser beam focused on entities that we control in terms of driving and delivering uh you know revenue in the city.

Yes, I thank you, council and the council to to that point as well.

not happening uh to begin to scope out and look at what they're doing budgetarily by by means of what the city has provided and given and to begin to possibly if if if those goals or um you know data points not being reached to be able to you know pull back and assess on that but we really have to have a laser beam focused on entities that we control in terms of driving and delivering uh you know revenue in the city yes thank you council and the council to to that point as well the areas where we have an opportunity to drive revenue uh are actually they're few and far between but they are real and there are opportunities for us particularly in uh our pilots making sure that the those are payments in lieu of taxes that they're all uh uh compliant that we audit the information that we get from them so that we make sure that the ultimate revenue that we get is is accurate and appropriate uh special taxes we have the payroll taxes parking taxes uh uh let's see payroll taxes parking taxes and a few other special taxes with respect to uh somebody just said hotel taxes and they're right but the hotel taxes don't come to the city the hotel taxes are essentially a pass through to the convention bureaus that's why I didn't mention them but but you are right uh in the audience that that is another special tax the the payroll taxes um we are working with the state right now to make sure that we can cross reference the data that we have with the data that they get they have a much better uh system of getting accurate information from uh companies who have employees that have to have payroll taxes ours is a self-reporting sort of an honor system here in the city of Newark we're gonna uh check the uh self-reporting and on the the honesty of those with the state they've agreed to work with us to cross reference that data and we are putting together an MOU right now those are the types of things that we need to do to make sure that we maximize our revenue opportunities and we'll do so and I certainly look to you uh to make more suggestions and we we will accept them and incorporate them anything else Councilman Council uh councilman Gonzalez let me follow up on that uh payroll tax uh because we have been working with the state to try to uh to reconcile the the the tax ret the tax returns that are submitted here with the quarterly reports that are submitted to the state yes and uh we have been trying to do that for some years now and uh we haven't been successful in in getting the state to cooperate uh are we getting any closer to them cooperating yes I've had discussions with the treasurer with the governor's office uh his uh senior advisor who's responsible for budget and treasury liaison uh we've had significant discussions uh with uh Ben Guzman and when it jordan where we have gone back and forth recently with commitments that will get the information that you're talking about and they've actually been very very responsive and supportive so I'm I'm grateful to the governor's office right now the other thing is that uh at one point in time I think we had an exemption for uh people that had salaries of twenty five hundred dollars I think it was a quarterly uh I don't know remember the number but it was a it was a low number those individuals were not required uh to pay the payroll tax because it was a minimum uh do we have an exemption uh or everybody has to pay no matter what the salaries are there are a couple of exemptions one is if they're uh NORC residents and their other is a uh a de minimis number and I don't recall what that number is as well okay thank you you're welcome thank you anything else council thank you mr bA you're welcome roll call council yes yes Kelly absent yes Ramos yes Scott Roundtree yes President Crump yes communications item eight AS is an ordinance authorizing a special emergency appropriation council as a whole to advance and adopt this item on first reading as 6FA Mr.

President what is this what is special the appropriation yeah I was I'm going to ask somebody from the administration just to explain it some of our contractual obligations good morning council uh council council member Benjamin Guzmanian acting finance director uh yes this ordinance for the special emergency is for contractual obligations of severance liability uh and this will give us the opportunity to be able to by doing a special emergency if need be uh authorize special emergency notes therefore bringing some alleviation to the city's uh budget and being able to uh account for that so in essence instead of having to budget the entire amount in a particular year's budget we can spread it over uh number of years and if need be we can sell special emergency notes to cover those costs and pay them over a five year period thank you any questions from the council hearing none thank you uh roll call council yes Gonzalez yes cally absent quintana yes ramos yes Scott Round tree yes Silva absent president crunk yes the ordinance adopted today on first reading will be advertised in accordance with law and a public hearing will be held at the special meeting conference on September 9th or soon thereafter as practical in the council chamber public comment yes

Council, yes, Gonzalez.

Yes, Kelly absent King Pana.

Yes.

Ramos, yes.

Scott Round trees.

Yes.

Silver absent, President Crunk.

Yes.

The ordinance adopted today on first reading will be advertised in accordance with law, and a public hearing will be held at the special meeting conference on September 9th or soon thereafter as practical in the council chamber.

Public comment?

Yes.

We are in the 30-minute public comment portion of this meeting where each speaker will have three minutes to speak.

Please state your name for the record.

Alik Mohammed, good morning, senior citizen of New York.

Um Lisa, I want to apologize to you on behalf of New York.

You said they didn't have a deficit.

Now they borrowed money.

So it's a deficit.

You said the taxes was increased almost 15%.

Now it's 9%.

He's saying that's it might be more.

So I want to apologize to you on behalf of Norfolk, New Jersey, because I know he don't have the class to get up and see because he walks around like you crazy.

I was coming here today just to watch the drawing.

And um what happened was I was with Gail, and let me make this closer.

I'm supporting Gail Cheneyfield for central ward in the special election.

So let's make it clear.

She don't even know I lobbied her.

I wouldn't even talk to her.

I went to Felicia and uh Lisa and say, could y'all tell Gail to run?

Because I thought she was the best person.

Before she ever said, I lobbied her.

She didn't know.

But anyway, I know one thing, she won't abandon us like Vermonica did.

And y'all was all here last year this time when I begged her.

Remember?

I begged her to resign.

Remember, I begged her.

And she didn't.

So a whole year, the senior citizens, the central war has had no representation.

I begged her.

But for political reasons to get Larry in that seat, she resigned.

Now, Gail also told me that she got a letter from the council president saying that if she go over minutes again, that she's gonna be banned for one year.

And when you look at that wall up there, I see Gail, I see Mildred, I see Maria Vonti, I see all these men.

The woman did 15 years of service down here.

Give her courtesy.

If you don't, if you didn't interrupt us, she probably instead of seven, she would have finished in six.

But the but the extended the most harsh.

See Larry, you become a political because you want her to go over so she can't come down here and talk.

Because that last conversation that she had, she had 30,000 views.

That's political, bruh.

Give her a courtesy for the time that it was an insult with Sharp James came down here and y'all to let her speak.

And then someone's sitting there.

I don't even want to talk about that.

All the years that somebody come down here.

Well, if y'all didn't have a second job and y'all had to live off like Louise off of the salary, you'll see that ain't enough.

I remember I spoke at the board education, and Dawn was the president, and I went over.

It was about when Leon, when they was crying about his contract, and I want to admit it.

And you know what she said?

She had enough class, she said, I have to let him go over.

He's my elder.

She's your elder.

She's your elder.

She's your elder.

Respect your elder, because I know you were taught that way.

Well, they can't salah.

Thank you for your comments.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon, Felicia Austin Singleton.

It feels good to be back in this building.

But it's a lot of things that I want to say.

You were talking about the budget, and they um a letter was sent out to say that the budget needed to be turned in in April.

We're now here in September.

The lack of services that's being provided to the residents is just unbelievable.

And then you saying we have to put a budget together.

Well, I'm gonna tell you what to do.

All the offices of the mayor of homeless prevention and office of violence prevention need to be cut out.

Needs to be cut out.

It was the county's responsibility to place the homeless.

The city decided to jump in, and now you got a mess.

A mess.

In housing, in just the community is just broken.

I cannot believe that we have representation because you are advocates.

You are advocates to sit up there and help the residents.

And everyone up there know that I will come to you personally through email, text, or whatever, before I ever step foot to this mic and say anything about an issue.

You know, months in advance.

I've tried to work with you.

I don't care what people say about you.

I am here for the residents.

But the lack of resources and incompetent people that we have in this city has to stop.

That's why he's getting rid of the uh he's trying to go third party.

New York Housing Authority is going third party.

It's because y'all let Mitty take control, put Dasha Carter down at the housing authority, and she hired incompetent people.

The same thing that's happening here in this building.

You got Kyra Watts over here ripping up people applications, talking to people nasty and homeless services.

These are people that's going through stuff.

It was okay when y'all sat up here and let your friends and family get get hired, and now everybody's in an up road spraiser is going third party.

He should.

Because they didn't do their jobs and apply for grants.

And at the end of the day, you wonder why people are here mad.

Y'all people woke up on me, size me up.

I'm not scared of none of y'all.

God got me.

I hope he has you.

Thank you for your comments.

Lisa Parker, good day, criminal cultists running our government.

I call y'all criminals because this word salad right here that y'all don't read.

This is this is a translation of it.

The city of Newark is facing a crisis, a fiscal crisis.

When I came here and bought all of my flip charts and told you I pulled all the budget from DCA last year, you was in a debt and a deficit.

You got the Halo building with a 25-year tax abatement.

You got Smitty on my block that owes you 1.2 million dollars in property taxes.

You got another building on Whitecliff that owes $862,000 in property taxes.

Let me explain something to you.

Last year, when you went up on our taxes, 7%, then you increased our taxes this year 7.8%.

That comes out to 15%, tagged on with the revaluation.

Instead of y'all taxing the people that should be paying taxes, you saddling the debt with homeowners, small businesses, and this BA here, you should be voting a no confidence in him as a BA because he has been fiscally and financially irresponsible for a budget.

And so let's talk, let's talk about and break this down what he just did.

You took out a loan for 22 22 million.

He's rescinding that and then adding another 30 million dollars to that, of which you're supposed to be paying off in 2020 to 2031.

Why are you saddling my kids and my grandkids with this debt?

Because y'all are irresponsible.

The last council meeting.

Y'all approved an ordinance for the Riviera, five deferments.

Should have went back to the administration after the third one.

3.99 is $4 million over the next 10 years.

That's 40 million dollars.

Where that money's supposed to come from while you helping the Riviera renovate and do all kind of hocus pocus, and you ain't got no homeless dollars.

That's criminal.

That's irresponsible.

And yet, the good working people in Society Hill can't get you the right legislation for a tax abatement extension.

Thank you for your comments.

Next speaker.

Good morning, George Tillman Jr.

Good morning.

I want to talk about the tax abatement moratorium that was supposed to be in effect on August 6th that was initiated by Councilman Gonzalez.

And I want to appreciate you for sir for taking a stance, like you said, because on August 13th, there was a tax abatement committee meeting that went forth without Councilman Gonzalez, who said that he was going to support the moratorium to make sure that New York residents were protected and the administration would do what they have to do to come into compliance so that Newark residents are protected.

We talk about this tax increase.

We talk about all this money that is owed to the city.

We look at these tax abatements.

We we're giving away tax abatements to developers who owe 1.5 million dollars.

Where we have over uh 45 million dollars in debt that's owed by these tax abatements, tax uh these tax abatements and these developers, but these taxes are going up.

Um very disappointed that you, councilman counsel.

I'm very disappointed that you, councilman councilwoman round tree.

You said that you were gonna support uh councilman Gonzalez because it was the right thing to do, because administration is not in compliance.

Councilman Council, I'm disappointing you because you should have supported your council colleague who's supporting the Newark residents because the administration is non-compliant.

So this is what we get when we get this Baraka team.

We cannot have Baraka teams.

We have to have people that represent the people.

Because you were you were you were there to take a stance for the people, and you said that you were councilwoman round tree, and I'm very disappointed because on August 6th, you said I I firmly stir for with Councilman Gonzalez and support the residents and what was right, and that was right what he did.

And councilman counsel was wrong that you took the chair position, knowing that that the government is non-compliant.

I asked you why you're doing that.

You said councilman Gonzalez has the right, and he has his opinion.

No, he didn't have an opinion, he took a stance for Newark residents.

He took a stance for the people, and now we have a process that has to continue with the government non-compliant.

So we need some answers from you, Councilman Woman Roundtree, because you said you were going to support it.

And councilman counsel, we need some answers to why you did not support it.

And you are member of that tax abatement committee.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Next speaker.

Seeing no one else, public speaking is now closed.

Anything from the council.

Yes.

Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.

Thank you, Mr.

Tillman.

Uh, thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Mr.

Chilman, for your remarks.

Um, the date that councilman Gonzalez made that statement, and I I want to first state this.

Um, everything I do and every position I take will always be for the people.

Uh, there's many things I can bring to this microphone about uh the people not being in compliance with some of the things that they come to this mic.

I'm not talking about any of the people that have spoken prior to you, uh, but there's some uh things that I actually could speak to.

Um, not to Miss Parker, not to Felicia, but since it's you, Mr.

Chilman, that addressed me with disappointment.

Um, there's a lot of things that I don't state at this microphone because it's actually something to have to deal with politically and professionally with the people of the city of Newark.

Councilman Gonzalez made that statement, uh, we were also in conversation with Councilman Kintana and Council President as pertaining to uh Lisa's uh request for relief for the residents at the same time when he made that statement.

We were supporting him for the moratorium at that time, which we did state that there were things that were already in the hopper, already things that were scheduled.

He didn't come to that meeting.

I don't know whether he'll be at the next meeting.

I was on my way to the emergency room and called to that meeting, as you recall, and went to the hospital.

I came to support the residents that were in there that had things already on the table.

So when I'm called, my first position, just like this morning, being here for this budget, is to be here.

I've never missed a council meeting, I've never never missed a committee meeting, and I will always be there to support the people.

That is my first assignment.

So I'm uh, you know, a little taken back because the truth of the matter is I've always met with you.

I've always brought people together for you.

We're in the process of right now with the law department reviewing the process of this civil, I mean, of the um affirmative action review council.

That's what your issue was with being in compliance.

So, in reference to the abatement and in reference to the committee, I was called to the committee.

The date was already scheduled.

I showed up.

And that's what I was supposed to do.

So when you say support the moratorium, that was something he said here.

The council that was here agreed to do whatever they want to do here that day.

But going forward, when there's something on the table, I have to show up.

I'm not going to boycott the meeting that I was requested to come to.

So we would we can talk about this offline and go forward with the other concerns that you have regarding moratoriums and development and the meetings that you have with developers and trying to make sure residents get jobs and all of that.

That's all great, because you're doing what you're supposed to do, and I'm doing what I've been elected to do, and that is stand with my colleagues at the same time for the people and those who are building in this city.

That was already on the table.

So I just want to say you you said you were disappointed, and I get that, that's fine.

And you're saying that I didn't stand with um Councilman Gonzalez.

You don't even know why he might not have come to the meeting.

Okay, well, well, we didn't know why, sir.

So I'm glad he had it.

Well, I'm glad he told you.

Mr.

Tellman, Mr.

Tillman.

That's great.

No back and forth.

But you know what, sir.

No back and forth.

Mr.

Tillman.

Mr.

Tillman.

It's okay.

What's even worse?

I'm putting on the record, he didn't tell me why.

So I showed up.

Okay?

And that's that.

And we can talk about this after if you care to.

My office has always been open to you.

My mind has always been open.

And we can further have a communication about the committee, the review council, as well as the moratorium and the tax abatement committee, because I sit on it.

Thank you so very much once again for your comment.

Thank you, Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.

Real quick, I just want to say that for for me personally, I've always been respectful when I'm up here, and I will continue to be respectful no matter how people treat me, because that is the position that I've chosen and I've taken.

And so I want to say that publicly and and for the record, the letter does not say that that I would ban uh uh uh uh councilwoman Jane Phil Jenkins for the year.

That's not in there.

That's not so with that being said, motion to adjourn council, yes, Gonzalez Kelly absent and kinda yes, Ramon's absent.

Scott Roundtree, yes.

Nova absent, President.

Yes.

See everybody next week.