The Jersey City Independent "

- County Budget Introduced: The Hudson County freeholders have introduced a $463.3 million 2010 budget; the amount to be raised by taxes will be $269.35 million, a 4.8 percent increase over last year. Officials say that will lead to an unspecified rise in property taxes in Jersey City. The budget did not include freeholder Bill O’Dea’s attempt to preserve organized sports at the Hudson County Schools of Technology high schools.

- UEZ Funds and the New State Budget: Under the compromise budget unveiled this week by Gov. Christie and state lawmakers, the tax breaks intended to spur economic growth in Urban Enterprise Zones would be kept, but only $48 million in sales tax will be sent back to those areas, instead of the full $91.7 million for which they would otherwise be eligible. “The proposed structure now is a major blow to the UEZs in this state,” North Bergen mayor and state Sen. Nicholas Sacco says of the new funding arrangement. “This is a major disappointment. I absolutely cannot support this budget.”

- Are More Furloughs and Layoffs on the Way? City officials say there’s a possibility that new furloughs will be imposed by City Hall starting as early as September for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Meanwhile, city workers are concerned that layoffs of employees with five years experience or less will be imposed in addition to the furloughs sometime in the future.

- Will Cunningham Vote for the Budget? “I haven’t really decided yet,” the Jersey City state Senator tells Politicker. “I’m trying to figure that out.” In order to pass his budget in the Senate, Gov. Christie needs four Democratic Party votes to add to the 17 Republicans to get to a majority, and Cunningham — who didn’t really come out in support of former Gov. Corzine and was named to Christie’s transition team — is being closely watched by political observers.

- Kuehne’s Response to Greenpeace: The president and CEO of Kuehne Chemical Company, which was the target of a scathing Greenpeace report yesterday that labeled the facility unsecure and dangerous to the public, says the company has been at the forefront of safe practices in its field and has cut the amount of chlorine gas it stores on site by 70 percent since 2003. “It’s sensationalism to promote their agenda,” he says of the Greenpeace report.

- Man Charged in Shooting: A 23-year-old Jersey City man has been charged with critically wounding a man who is paralyzed after being shot multiple times on a Greenville street on June 13, and the victim’s family thinks that incident is related to the June 5 murder of 17-year-old Jermaine Williams near Exchange Place.

- Contract Awarded for WTC Station: The Port Authority took its first concrete step toward construction of Santiago Calatrava’s dramatic World Trade Center PATH and subway hub today, awarding an $86 million contract to a Long Island firm to provide the structure’s concrete floor slabs, beams and walls.

- Spectra Open House: Spectra Energy officials were on hand for an open house at School 9 last night. A Spectra project manager says that PSE&G has already expressed interest in potentially tapping into the proposed gas pipeline extension through Jersey City, and claims that the project will bring about 300 construction jobs and $2 million in taxes to the city annually. But a representative from the LeFrak Organization, Newport’s developer, says they don’t think the pipeline belongs here.

- LCCS Teacher Under Investigation for Sending Kid to NYC School: New York City is moving to collect nearly $25,000 from Jill Schifter and Anthony Maulello, whose daughter attended two of NYC’s most competitive public schools while the family lived in North Bergen, not NYC. The figure represents five years’ worth of the tuition the city requires from public school parents who live outside of the city; the city could also act to throw the daughter out of LaGuardia High School, which she still attends. Schifter is an art teacher at Jersey City’s Learning Community Charter School.

- NJ Beer Co. in Jersey City: Beer from Hudson County’s newest brewery can now be found at the Iron Monkey, LITM and Star Bar. (If you missed our story on the company, click here.)

Today’s Best Bets:

- The grand opening party for the Golden Door mini-golf course at Hamilton Square is at 6 pm; the event doubles as a fundraiser for the ailing Jersey City Museum. Bar Majestic hosts an opening reception for Alison Charli Smith’s new exhibition, Gardens, at 6 pm. If you’re looking for free outdoor entertainment this evening, you’re in luck, with Groove on Grove featuring live music from Air Panther and Modern Airs (6 pm) and the Films in Van Vorst series hosting a screening of 2009′s Star Trek (8:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Changes to School Vouchers Bill: The fate of a school vouchers bill backed by Gov. Christie is in flux after the legislation’s sponsor, Sen. Ray Lesniak, announced significant changes in hopes of winning quick legislative approval. MORE from NJ Spotlight and the Asbury Park Press.

- Senate Cmte. Will Hold Hearing on Budget Agreement: Senate lawmakers will hold a hearing Wednesday on the 2011 state budget, two days after a deal was reached on Gov. Christie’s $29.4 billion budget. Meanwhile, the Ledger has a breakdown of the budget’s cuts and how much the state will save at first. Among the many cuts not restored as part of the compromise are the more than $400 million in clean energy funds used to balance the current and next year’s state budget.

- NJ Transit’s Unspent Earmark: A $4 million Trans-Hudson Midtown Corridor Study for NJ Transit appears on a new list of Federal Transit Administration earmarks that were introduced and approved by Congress, yet lapsed after the money was never spent.

- Experimental Oyster Beds Bill: Legislation has been introduced to allow scientists and activists to continue operating experimental oyster beds in New Jersey’s polluted coastal waters, despite a ban imposed by state regulators two weeks ago.

- State Will Continue Suit Against Passaic River Polluters: The head of the Department of Environmental Protection says New Jersey will continue to press its lawsuit against a handful of Passaic River polluters that critics say have stalled the cleanup of the highly contaminated waterway.

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