Healy Calls on Dept. Heads to Trim Budgets, Says Voluntary Furloughs Are Coming
By Jon Whiten • Jul 1st, 2009 • Category: Blog, News, Politics
At his inauguration to another four-year term this morning at New Jersey City University, Mayor Jerramiah Healy put his economic agenda for the city front and center in the midst of what he termed the New Great Depression.
Among the actions outlined by the mayor in his prepared remarks:
- All department directors have been asked to cut their budgets by 10 percent.
- A voluntary furlough system for city employees is being instituted.
- The no overtime (unless absolutely necessary) policy and hiring freeze (for non-uniform personnel) policies established last year will continue this year.
Healy also stressed the importance of next year’s federal Census to the city’s fiscal health, saying that Jersey City was undercounted during the last count. Census figures are used to determine how much money Jersey City receives for a number of things, from schools to infrastructure.
The rest of the speech laid out familiar policy accomplishments and goals, including the redevelopment of Journal Square, the recent settlement with PPG Industries and the administration’s efforts to fight crime. You can read the full text of his prepared remarks here.
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Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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