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Record of Proceedings

Edison City Council Special Meeting October 21, 2025 - 2025 Budget Adoption

Municipal Council — Tuesday, October 21, 2025
BodyNewark, New Jersey
SessionMunicipal Council
DateTuesday, October 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 19:30

Transcript — Verbatim
1:21

In accordance with New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting.

1:34

In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on October 17th at the time of preparation and posted on the city's website.

1:42

Roll call, please.

1:48

Council.

1:50

Gonzalez.

1:51

Present.

1:52

Kelly.

1:54

Here.

1:55

Here.

1:56

Raymouth.

1:57

Here.

1:58

Scott Roundtree.

1:59

Present.

2:00

Silva?

2:00

Here.

2:01

President Klump.

2:02

Present.

2:03

Council President, Council Members, we are on page four of the special meeting agenda.

2:10

Resolutions.

2:12

Seven R four A S is the cancellation of commitments payable and 2024 appropriation reserves.

2:22

Council as a whole to adopt.

2:24

Roll call.

2:26

Council?

2:27

Yes.

2:27

Gonzalez.

2:28

Yes.

2:29

Kelly.

2:30

Yes.

2:32

Ray Month.

2:33

Yes.

2:34

Scott Roundtree.

2:35

Yes.

2:36

Yes.

2:36

President Klump.

2:38

Yes.

2:40

7R8 A S through C S all regarding the 2025 municipal budget items.

2:49

A is authorizing the budget.

2:52

B is amending the budget.

2:55

And C is the final approval of the 2025 municipal budget.

3:00

Council as a whole to adopt A through C.

3:03

Before we start, before we vote, is there anything from the council or administration?

3:10

Yeah, I just have a question.

3:11

From the original, it's now nine ninety.

3:19

I believe the original number was nine sixty-seven or not range.

3:22

Is there a reason why?

3:25

Mr.

3:26

BA.

3:33

Good morning, Eric Pennington Business Administrator.

3:36

There is uh uh two council uh Monsil with you.

3:41

Um there is a reason for the difference after going through the budget and making the appropriate changes and doing the uh calculations, a number that you have as the final number is what the uh ultimate budget will be.

3:55

And while I'm here, I'll anticipate one question.

3:59

Uh I'm gonna anticipate a question that I got from Councilman Gonzalez, which I think is uh sort of an appropriate question for everyone else.

4:06

You wanted to know how the uh rate would be affected by the ultimate change, and indeed the rate went down from four point zero one six to four dollars per 100 after the ultimate calculation.

4:19

I want to say that the ultimate rate went down from four point zero one six per 100 dollars of assessed valuation to a flat four dollars, so we were able to have a decrease in what the uh ratepayers will ultimately see at the end of the budget once it's adopted.

4:34

So I think that's important for everybody to know.

4:36

I think two that council Councilman.

4:53

Right in the tax rate.

4:56

That is right.

4:57

So appreciate that.

5:00

I think also to Councilman Gonzalez's question.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████████████████████████████████████81%
Procedural██████11%
Economic Development████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Edison City Council Special Meeting October 21, 2025 - 2025 Budget Adoption

The Edison City Council convened for a special meeting to finalize the 2025 Municipal Budget following an abbreviated timeline for proposal and discussion. The meeting focused on three resolutions to authorize, amend, and finally approve the budget, alongside discussions on fiscal prudence, tax rates, and enforcement of zoning regulations. While the administration highlighted a reduction in the tax rate and the urgency of avoiding state intervention, council members emphasized the need for earlier budget preparations and stricter cost controls for the upcoming fiscal year.

Consent Calendar

  • Adopted Resolution 7R-4A-S canceling commitments payable and 2024 appropriation reserves (Vote: Unanimously 7-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jennifer Carillo Perez: Representing partner El Narda Webster regarding airport parking lots; submitted checks totaling half a million dollars to bring entities current.
  • General Public/Attendees: Presence noted regarding businesses on McClellan Street facing potential enforcement.

Discussion Items

  • Budget Timeline and Process: Councilman Ramos expressed concern that the late introduction of the budget limited the council's ability to provide input and reduce expenditures, noting that while state adoption would be worse, the city must improve its process to avoid repeating challenges with the pending revaluation.
  • Tax Rate Adjustments: Business Administrator Eric Pennington explained the budget adjustment resulted in a tax rate decrease from 4.016 per $100 of assessed valuation to a flat 4.00 per $100.
  • Fiscal Challenges and Cost Control: Councilman Gonzales and Councilman Ramos discussed the necessity of reducing expenditures, including potential hiring freezes and reviewing collective bargaining agreements for fire officers and nurses, to manage state loan repayments and anticipated increases in county tax offsets.
  • Tax Collection and Tax Sales: Councilman Gonzales suggested reducing the reserve for collectible taxes to improve the collection rate and lower the tax burden; Administration confirmed an aggressive stance on tax sales, particularly regarding the "Teachers Village" pilot which owes approximately $400,000 in water bills.
  • Illegal Airport Parking Operations: President Klump announced plans to enforce zoning laws against unlawful airport parking lots on McClellan Street, stating that entities must comply with zoning processes rather than solely paying to remain operational.
  • 2026 Budget Preparation: Council members urged the administration to begin discussions on the 2026 budget immediately and requested updates on the re-evaluation progress and revenue-generating strategies.

Key Outcomes

  • Approvals: The Council unanimously voted YES (7-0) on Resolutions 7R-8A-S through 7R-8C-S to authorize, amend, and final approve the 2025 Municipal Budget.
  • Directed Actions: The administration is instructed to prepare monthly updates on the 2026 budget process in collaboration with the Budget Chair and to initiate legal enforcement (show cause hearings) regarding illegal airport parking operations.
  • Next Steps: The City will move forward with the adopted budget to prevent state intervention, furloughs, or service cuts while continuing negotiations for pending labor contracts.

Meeting Transcript

In accordance with New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting. In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on October 17th at the time of preparation and posted on the city's website. Roll call, please. Council. Gonzalez. Present. Kelly. Here. Here. Raymouth. Here. Scott Roundtree. Present. Silva? Here. President Klump. Present. Council President, Council Members, we are on page four of the special meeting agenda. Resolutions. Seven R four A S is the cancellation of commitments payable and 2024 appropriation reserves. Council as a whole to adopt. Roll call. Council? Yes. Gonzalez. Yes. Kelly. Yes. Ray Month. Yes. Scott Roundtree. Yes. Yes. President Klump. Yes. 7R8 A S through C S all regarding the 2025 municipal budget items. A is authorizing the budget. B is amending the budget. And C is the final approval of the 2025 municipal budget. Council as a whole to adopt A through C. Before we start, before we vote, is there anything from the council or administration? Yeah, I just have a question. From the original, it's now nine ninety. I believe the original number was nine sixty-seven or not range. Is there a reason why? Mr. BA. Good morning, Eric Pennington Business Administrator. There is uh uh two council uh Monsil with you. Um there is a reason for the difference after going through the budget and making the appropriate changes and doing the uh calculations, a number that you have as the final number is what the uh ultimate budget will be.

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