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- At Budget Hearing, Council Hears It From Residents: Last night’s public hearing on the city’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget brought a huge crowd to City Hall. The crowd packed council chambers while speaker after speaker got up to protest the proposed budget, which would result in a property tax hike. Douglas Carlucci has a quick rundown of the meeting, and David Cruz makes note of one significant absence. Look for much more in our full Council Report on Friday.

- Budget News Will Only Get Worse: Gov. Christie told mayors and local officials yesterday to prepare for state aid cuts to municipalities, but stopped short of saying just how much money the municipalities can expect to lose.

- Getting Out While the Gettin’s Good: The Jersey City Fire Department has lost 26 members since the start of the year and will lose 20 more March 1 as firefighters rush to retire before the Legislature caps retirement payouts for public workers, mirroring a trend being seen all across the state. The higher-than-usual number of retirees puts an additional strain on the city budget, as it has to pay more to the firefighters for unused sick and vacation time.

- Manzo Settles Campaign-Pay Suit: Former Jersey City Assemblyman Lou Manzo has agreed to pay $10,000 to a former fund-raiser to settle a lawsuit she filed against him.

- JCFD Raising Funds in Ski Race: Firefighters from Jersey City will join dozens of other teams tomorrow for the annual New Jersey Firefighters Ski Race; the race will raise funds for the Burn Center at St. Barnabas in Livingston.

Today’s Best Bets:

- The Attic Ensemble’s production of “The Pillowman” kicks off its final weekend tonight (7 pm).

In statewide news:

- CWA Fights Executive Order: New Jersey’s largest state worker union has filed a court challenge to Gov. Christie’s recent executive order banning the union from making political donations.

- Christie Looks to Change Unemployment: Gov. Chris Christie is reportedly set to propose major changes to the state’s unemployment system, reducing benefits for workers and limiting tax increases on employers.

- Court Rules on Kinship Legal Guardians: The state Supreme Court has strengthened the legal standing of relatives who become legal guardians for mistreated children by ruling that parents must prove they are fit before their children can return to their parents’ care.

- Snow Brings Thoughts of Shore: Despite the snow — or maybe because of it — the number of Jersey Shore vacationers who have locked in their summer rentals may actually be up, according to coastal real estate agents.