Newark City Council Meeting – June 3, 2026: Budget, 10 Park Place Abatement, and Public Comment
Newark City Council Meeting – June 3, 2026
The Newark City Council met on June 3, 2026, to introduce the municipal budget, advance a major affordable housing tax abatement, and hear public testimony. Key discussions included the timing of budget hearings, a 196-unit mixed-income project at 10 Park Place, and concerns over utility work and the Delaney Hall detention facility.
Consent Calendar
- Sister Cities Resolution (7R8ABS): Approved a sister cities relationship with Arcos de Val de Vez, Portugal (sponsored by Councilman Silva). Passed 8-0 (one absent).
- North Fan Village (7R8CSAS): Authorized a hold harmless agreement for a World Cup fan festival running June 11 – July 19, 2026. Passed 8-0.
- Professional Services Contract (7R6AAS): Approved a legal services contract for litigation defense matters. Passed 8-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Donna Jackson (Council-elect at-large, sworn in July 1): Criticized the budget introduction as rushed and lacking paperwork. Demanded proper evening public hearings, questioned executive protection costs, and opposed the city’s handling of the Delaney Hall situation. Urged the council to restore two meetings per month in June.
- Action Jackson (first speaker): Argued for keeping Delaney Hall open, questioned who pays for Newark police overtime there, and praised the 10 Park Place project. Urged the council to stand firm on budget hearings.
- Mike Check (chief of staff to Donna Jackson): Called out poor governance from both executive and legislative sides, citing lack of preparedness by Deputy Mayor Ladd on the 10 Park Place item. Raised concerns about ADA access and parking for seniors at the building.
- Andre Santana: Requested a data dump of the city’s general ledger for 2024-25 from the Business Administrator.
- Fakira Bradley (South Ward resident): Sought council support for a block party on Skylar Avenue to restore community unity.
Discussion Items
- Budget Introduction (2026-2027): Council President Clump noted a new council member will join July 1. Business Administrator Eric Pennington confirmed budget packets will be ready in about a week and hearings would not be held in one day. Council members pressed for timely information; Councilman Gonzalez asked to shift affordable units from 80% AMI to 60% AMI, and Deputy Mayor Ladd indicated a zoning change is being prepared.
- 10 Park Place Tax Abatement (2607 81): Deputy Mayor Allison Ladd presented a 30-year tax abatement for 196 residential units (195 affordable, 1 management). Breakdown: 53 studios at 27%-57% AMI, 16 two-bedrooms at 30%-57% AMI, 10 three-bedrooms at 30%-57% AMI, plus 10% set-asides for seniors and artists. Ground-floor retail at 50% market rate. Council members raised concerns about lack of documentation prior to the vote. Councilman Ramos noted the ordinance would require three readings; Council President Clump proposed advancing and adopting on first reading with the understanding that full information would be provided before the next meeting (June 17). The item passed on first reading 8-0.
- PSE&G Utility Work: Councilman Ramos and Councilman Quintana criticized PSE&G for messy gas line replacements and loose wires. They requested a special council meeting with PSE&G, Optimum, and Verizon to address accountability.
- Delaney Hall Protests: Business Administrator Pennington defended the city’s handling, stating Newark police are managing First Amendment protests effectively and that the city is seeking reimbursement from the state for FIFA and Delaney Hall overtime costs.
Key Outcomes
- Budget introduced; hearings to be scheduled over multiple days, with council members and the public given time to review materials.
- 10 Park Place tax abatement advanced to second reading on June 17, 2026. Council members will receive additional documentation and meet with the developer before that vote.
- Sister cities, fan festival, and legal services contracts all approved unanimously.
- PSE&G will be invited to a future council meeting to address complaints.
- Public comment closed after 30 minutes; no further speakers.
Meeting Transcript
Council person that's going to be sworn in July 1. So that person will have an opportunity at least to um, you know, I know Councilman Gonzalez has been driving conversations on the budget for a long time, and you know, we appreciate his diligence, but we do have a new person that's coming on board, and it's important for her to have an opportunity at least as uh initial responsibility to weigh in a little bit on on the budget process as well. Certainly. With respect to that, uh through the council president to you, I have offered to meet with the new council member to answer any questions in advance of uh her voting on the budget, and I presume that she will be here to participate in the hearings as well. Thank you, Eric. You will thank you. Uh quick question in terms of and the anticipation of when we would receive the the budget packets, the uh initial information you will get some additional information today, the budget packets will be put together over the next week or so, uh, or less than a or so in about a week. All right, thank you. Any other any other any other questions from the council? Alright, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bay. You're welcome. Roll call. Council members Bay. Yes. Council, absent, Gonzalez, yes, Kelly, yes, yes, Ramos, yes, got Roundtree. Yes, Silva. Yes, President Clump, yes, 7R8BS is establishing a sister cities relationship for Arcos de Val de Bes, Portugal, sponsored by Councilman Silva. Sended by Councilman Kentana. Um, we have reviewed and you know, we talked about it, the deputy mayor leads of the Friday. We spoke about it and it's all clear. So, you know, through your office, I I want to thank you for clearing it and making sure that that sister city is in good standards. Thank you, Councilman. Anything else? Is a person, supposedly Google it. It can be that simple, right? Roll call. Council members Bay, yes, council absent, Gonzalez, yes, Kelly. Yes, Kintana. Yes, Ramos, yes, Scott Roundtree. Yes. Yes. President Clump. Yes. Council President, Council members, we are on the added starters. First one is 7R 8 C S A S, which is a whole harmless for the North Fan Village, sponsored by Councilman Silva. So our second second by Councilman Cantana. Anything you want to say? Yeah. I just wanted to uh thank the business administrator, uh, the city of Newark, the mayor. Uh this is something that we're putting on for everybody. It's a family-friendly event. We invite everybody from all parts of the city of Newark outside the city of Newark. Uh if you're a vendor, get in touch with my office. We'll be happy. We have 39 days of this going on. It'll be going on from July uh June 11th to July 19th to the finals. Uh anybody who wants to participate from the city of North priority one is our Newark uh business owners and vendors to come out uh and be part of this. We uh we want to make this uh a great event.
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