- Crime Rate: Violent and non-violent crime saw a modest overall drop in Jersey City in 2010, continuing the downward trend for a second year, city officials announced last week.

- Homicide: Police are looking for the 21-year-old Jersey City man they have charged in the shooting death of a 21-year-old Newark man over the weekend.

- Red-Light Cameras: The city has installed security cameras at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Communipaw Avenue to catch drivers who run through red lights.

- Port Authority Security $: A federal budget bill passed last month would cut a federal Homeland Security allocation to The Port Authority to $11.2 million, from $33.8 million.

- Deportation: A 35-year-old former Jersey City resident faces deportation by the Department of Homeland Security for a $15 drug deal he engaged in 15 years ago.

- Goldman Workers Get Their Own Ferries: Two sleek ferries to carry Goldman Sachs employees commuters between docks in Jersey City and Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan are scheduled to go into service later this month.

- Illegal Apartments: A Jersey City man renting a single-family house as eight separate apartments was fined $10,000 Friday and the Downtown building was ordered vacated by fire officials.

- JSQ Lockdown: Heavily armed police officers from several jurisdictions converged on Journal Square after getting what appear to be erroneous reports of a man carrying a shotgun there Friday morning.

- Louis Calamito Street Naming: The late, lifelong resident of Monmouth Street Louis Calamito had the intersection of Monmouth and 5th streets named after him at a dedication this weekend.

Today’s Best Bet:

- Stevens Cooperative School hosts a screening of the education documentary Race to Nowhere (7 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Pension Costs: The amount that local governments and school districts will have to pay in 2012 for pension benefits will increase by 8.9 percent, to $1.858 billion, according to the state Department of Treasury, the head of which warned that without comprehensive reform costs will continue to spike.

- Christie’s Budget & the National Political Landscape: Gov. Christie has repeatedly criticized President Obama for excessive federal spending, but his latest budget sides with Obama and the Democrats when it comes to the deep spending cuts that House Republicans approved last month.

- Who’s Reviewing Charter School Apps? The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey has filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Education seeking the names of volunteers who reviewed 50 charter school applications and information about the training they received.

- Fact-Checking Christie’s Budget Claims: The Associated Press fact-checks some of Gov. Christie’s favorite figures.

- Income-Tax Revenue: New Jersey may soon get a significant boost in income tax revenue from its wealthiest residents without having to raise their taxes — all courtesy of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

- Using Clean Energy $ to Plug Budget Holes: An appeals court has affirmed the diversion of $158 million in clean energy funds to plug a hole in the current state budget by the Christie administration and legislature.

- Land Contamination and Small Biz: The Record takes a look at contaminated sites owned by small and family-owned companies, and the struggles those companies have with paying for mandated cleanups.

- 2016 Political Conventions: State Sen. Dick Codey is looking for either the Republicans or the Democrats to host their national political convention in New Jersey in 2016.

- Toll Collection Errors: The New Jersey Turnpike Authority lost at least $358,472 in toll revenue last year — and $439,122 in 2009 — as a result of toll collectors’ cash drawers coming up short. Those figures reflect the net loss, including the instances when motorists are overcharged.

- Homicides: The Journal has its annual rundown of Hudson County’s homicides, which in 2010 totaled 35 — up from 31 in 2009. They’ve also created a Google Map with all of the year’s killings.

- Arrest in Shooting: An 18-year-old Jersey City man who was free on $50,000 bail was arrested yesterday on charges he shot a man in the groin at a New Year’s party in the Candlewood Suites Hotel on the Downtown waterfront.

- Rothman Gets New Chief of Staff: Rep. Steve Rothman, who represents part of Jersey City in the House, has tapped a veteran House operative with experience in the New Jersey delegation as his chief of staff.

- Valastro Gets New Show: “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro, who recently inked a deal to expand his Hoboken business into Jersey City, will be featured in the new show Kitchen Boss, a daytime cooking series that TLC says will “showcase Buddy’s traditional Italian recipes.”

- ‘Suspicious’ Shea Butter: Police, homeland security and health officials responded to a Woodlawn Avenue home Tuesday on a report of suspicious barrels being unloaded from a truck but it turned out to be 28,000 pounds of shea butter, a product used in skin lotions.

Today’s Best Bets:

- There’s plenty to do in Jersey City tonight: 58 Gallery hosts an opening reception for John Besante’s interpretative paintings of works at the Met (7 pm), and there’s a free screening of the 1994 film Once Were Warriors at the Warehouse (7 pm). Art House Productions’ first Art House event of 2011 is also tonight, featuring poet and performer Mel Kozakiewicz, as well as plenty of open mic spots (8 pm). For those looking for live music, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players will perform Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major in the Hamilton Square lobby (7 pm), and singer/songwriter Nick Ciavatta plays a free show at Bar Majestic (8 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Superintendent Hiring: Gov. Christie is pressing for regulations that would allow some New Jersey school districts to hire superintendents without traditional academic backgrounds or experience. But questions are already surfacing about the plan.

- ‘Achievement Gap’: The “achievement gap” between rich and poor students, and among those of different races, persists in New Jersey schools, according to statewide test score data released yesterday by the state Board of Education.

- School Funding: The state Supreme Court yesterday once again began tackling the decades-long case over whether the state’s low-income districts have adequate funding. MORE from the Asbury Park Press.

- Fertilizers Bill: Gov. Christie signed legislation Wednesday that imposes the nation’s strictest limits on fertilizers and creates soil standards meant to prevent pollution from spilling into Barnegat Bay.

- Jobs Bills: The New Jersey Senate and Assembly are scheduled to vote today on more than a dozen bills designed to jump-start the state’s economy by encouraging job growth and creating a friendlier climate for businesses. One of the proposals would create a corporate tax break that is intended to reward multistate businesses that hire and expand in the state but that would cost millions of dollars in lost revenue.

- Pension Reform: Senate President Steve Sweeney once again says an overhaul of the New Jersey pension system won’t fly without a guarantee from the governor that the state will begin paying its share.

- GOP Chairman Resigns: Jay Webber has announced his resignation as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee; Gov. Christie is backing Saddle River mayor Sam Raia to replace him.

- Christopher Cerf: Cerf, who was nominated by Gov. Christie last month to fill the position of state education commissioner, was appointed as an assistant education commissioner at the state board of education meeting Wednesday.

- Snow Storm: Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski says he plans to hold a hearing on the state’s response to last week’s blizzard some time late this month.

- Congress: The return of the House and Senate to Capitol Hill on Wednesday had some New Jersey lawmakers focusing on arcane rules that would shape how and whether future laws could be considered and passed.

- Atlantic City: Gov. Christie has signed legislation that says smaller, “boutique” casinos may be a good bet for Atlantic City.

- Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York is urging federal officials not to close immigration detention operations at the Varick Federal Detention Facility in Manhattan, arguing that their decision to transfer its roughly 300 detainees to Hudson County jail would “represent a crushing blow to the due process rights of immigrants.” Schumer points out that it would be very difficult for the detainees’ families or attorneys to visit from NYC to the county jail, which is Kearny; meanwhile the director of the NYU Law School’s Immigrant Rights Clinic says the Hudson County jail isn’t currently required to meet national detention standards, and that many of her students have been trying for months — without success — to visit detainees in the jail. It’s worth noting that the jail has also recently been sued for the alleged lax health care of a detainee who had breast cancer. The federal government is trying to make the move largely for financial reasons; housing detainees here would reportedly cost less than half it does to house them in the Manhattan facility.

- The attorney representing former deputy mayor Leona Beldini in her federal corruption trial has filed a motion to dismiss the charges; he argues that due process wasn’t followed, the counts against her are not supported by the evidence and the government should have to disclose additional evidence to the defense.

- The number of murders in Hudson County in 2009 dropped from 36 to 31 in 2008, but the number in Jersey City was 28, one more than in 2008.

- Bad budget news: the state estimates that every municipality and county in New Jersey will see a double-digit increase in pension payments this year. The exact amount of the payment, which is due by the end of June, hasn’t been announced yet, but Mayor Healy seems to have failed in his push to have state legislators allow local governments to defer half of this year’s payments, a move that saved Jersey City $14.8 last year.

- A 22-year-old and a 21-year-old from Jersey City have been charged with the execution-style murder of a 21-year-old earlier this month on Wegman Parkway.

- The Hudson County Improvement Authority has lost about $4.5 million in state aid, which could lead to municipalities seeing a hike in their waste disposal fees.

- The Jersey City Medical Center has sent a nurse and a paramedic to were dispatched yesterday to Haiti to aid in relief efforts. St. Peter’s College is pitching in too, as are other local organizations; here are a few.

- The Journal editorializes that Journal Square “needs more than it gets,” and calls for a closer look at the Journal Square Special Improvement District, which is designed to help businesses in the area flourish. (Also: who knew McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken were “small businesses?”)

- Jersey City has addressed 1,466 complaints for a lack of heat for both residences and offices since Oct. 1.

- The Insider reports that members are looking to revive the Jersey City chapter of the NAACP; be on the lookout for a membership drive sometime soon.

- A Jersey City man who has what he says it a million-dollar collection of rare books will soon be evicted from his apartment, and he’s unsure what will happen to his treasured collection.

- The Star-Ledger’s Jay Lustig reviews Tris McCall’s latest album, calling the Jersey City singer-songwriter “a unique figure on the local indie-rock scene.”

- Kendall Messick’s “Impermanence” show, which we wrote about earlier this month, gets the ABC 7 treatment.

- Following a trend among financial institutions, Provident and PNC Banks have adopted the policy of having customers show their faces by removing hats, hoods and sunglasses when they walk in the door.

- Jersey City’s Stevens Cooperative School has moved to a new space in the Newport area, which gives the school the ability to expand from a kindergarten through Grade 5 facility to a kindergarten through Grade 8 school by the 2012-2013 school year.

In statewide news:

- As Gov.-elect Chris Christie gets ready to drop the “elect” from that title and take office Tuesday, he says he “feel[s] like I’m ready” and that he “think[s] people are ready for the pain” of tough budget cuts that he plans to impose. Looking at what Christie has pledged to tackle (and how), the Record says “to do” list looks familiar. And the Philly Inquirer‘s Jonathan Tamari says “it has become clear the state’s political winds have shifted.”

- The state Treasury Department says that better-than-expected income tax collections in December helped New Jersey make up for sagging sales and business taxes, leaving the state’s monthly revenue 1.4 percent above expectations.

- Big sports news yesterday as the Jets defeated the San Diego Chargers, bringing them one step closer to a Super Bowl appearance. They will face the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game on Sunday at 3 pm.

- New Jersey is set to strengthen its seat belt rules.

- The Jersey City Supervisors Association has filed a lawsuit in federal court contesting the administration’s unpaid furlough days. The union contends that the plan, which began on Christmas Eve, “substantially impaired the obligations” of its contract under a clause in the U.S. Constitution.

- Ward E councilman Steven Fulop plans to introduce a new ordinance that would allow some residents behind on their taxes to enter a payment program.

- Education experts gathered in Trenton yesterday to discuss how to improve urban education.

- State legislation to combat the scourge of bedbugs failed to pass in 2009, and it looks unlikely that it will be taken up in Trenton before the lame-duck legislative session is over. But both landlords and tenants are hoping that a new version of the legislation, which was sponsored by Jersey City Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, will be taken up in 2010.

- Police have released a mugshot of the 25-year-old Jersey City man charged with killing an Irvington man at the Ringside Lounge last week. Meanwhile, the JCPD says it is reviewing previous incidents at the bar to determine if some sort of action should be taken against it.

- Another Jersey City bookstore — the B. Dalton in the Newport Centre mall — is closing.

In statewide news:

- With just two weeks before New Jersey changes governors, gay-rights advocates are facing lengthening odds of passing a marriage equality bill. Supporters of the bill rallied in Trenton yesterday; Blue Jersey was there. In addition, a letter in strong support of marriage equality, signed by 120 clergy from 19 faiths, has been sent to lawmakers. Its signers include Rev. Joseph Harmon, pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Jersey City.

- Also in Trenton, a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants who are New Jersey residents to pay in-state tuition was moved out of an Assembly committee after hours of emotional testimony yesterday.

- Even more Trenton action yesterday: The Senate State Government Committee Monday approved a bill that would make data and information on the state’s annual revenues, expenditures, and total bonded debt available on the internet; legislation to require future state employees to live in New Jersey was approved by the Assembly State Government Committee; and legislation — opposed by environmental groups — that would extend the life of building permits for commercial and residential development projects stalled by the economic downturn was released by an Assembly panel.

- Three prison officers are under investigation for allegedly threatening to electrocute a mentally ill inmate during an interrogation at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel, and 19 more face disciplinary charges in connection with the case.

- Good news for the many people who are unemployed in New Jersey: Effective Jan. 1, the maximum weekly unemployment benefit amount rose from $584 to $600, due to the yearly recalculation of the statewide average weekly wage.

- A federal monitor’s report to be released this week will be the first to examine whether a $1 billion-plus initiative to reform the state’s child-welfare system has actually benefited the kids it is supposed to help.

A similar bill passed last year allowed Jersey City to defer $14.8 million in payments and helped the city balance its $474 million Fiscal Year 2009 budget. The city’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget, which covers the time period from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010, is by all accounts in worse shape than last year’s, with officials having projected a shortfall of anywhere between $40 and $70 million.

The payment not made this year, if the legislation passes, would be repaid to the state over a 15-year period beginning in Fiscal Year 2013. Last year’s deferred payment will begin a 15-year repayment in Fiscal Year 2012.

Quigley’s legislation is mirrored in the state Senate by a bill introduced by Jersey City Sen. Sandra Cunningham. Both have said they put forth the bills at the behest of the Healy administration, which is hoping to avoid cutting more services or raising taxes.

- The homeless man charged with killing a Jersey City woman and stabbing her infant son last week is being sent to a state hospital to see if he’s mentally fit to stand trial.

- Among the items on the City Council’s agenda this week: a $8 million federal loan to the city that would go to the developer of a new Hilton Hotel; a nearly $130,000 contract to relocate 27 of the city’s wayfaring signs; and settling up with Liberty Humane Society.

- An 18-year-old Jersey City woman has died after sustaining a gunshot wound in the head inside her Forrest Street apartment.

- Fox 5 reports on the ongoing saga of the Parking Authority’s reckless booting.

- Congrats to Downtown vintage store Another Man’s Treasure, which has fashions featured on the cover of this week’s Time Out New York.

In statewide news:

- Gov.-elect Christie is expected to name Kim Guadagno, elected in November as the state’s first lieutenant governor, as Secretary of State.

- The state is making $1.45 million available to help residents pay their utility bills.

- Richard Vezza, who is president of the Star-Ledger’s parent company, will assume the additional role of publisher of the Ledger.

- Ward E councilman Steven Fulop is among those not impressed by the city’s new development audit. “I am not sure what will change from this report,” he tells the Journal, “but I think any Jersey City resident could have written the same report for free in about 10 minutes with about 20 words.” The audit calls for, among other things, a ban on one-on-one meetings between elected officials and developers to discuss prospective projects.

- A 41-year-old homeless man has been arrested and charged with last week’s stabbing that killed a 27-year-old Jersey City woman and severely injured her 9-month-old son.

- The state Board of Medical Examiners has suspended a Jersey City doctor’s license for his involvement in an illegal prescription drug ring.

- Electrical service to several large buildings in the Newport area was knocked out for several hours yesterday morning by an underground electrical fire

- The JCPD’s latest departmental newsletter has an interesting read for history buffs: Part 2 of a 7-part series on the “history of Jersey City & its police.”

Today’s Best Bets:

- There’s a free CD release show for Kagero at Lucky 7′s at 9 pm, and Melissa Surach’s BabyHole (9 pm at the Lamp Post) features standup comedy and music from Crazy and the Brains and Jack Parson’s Moonchild, who will be performing original Christmas music. Or if you’re in a more mellow mood, head over to LITM and sketch it up with the Jersey City Drawing Club (and check out our profile of the club’s founder while you’re at it).

In statewide news:

- Gov.-elect Christie, who campaigned to increase state funding for higher education and called past levels of support “deplorable,” says he will not rule out further aid cuts to public colleges and universities in his first budget. In related news, new federal numbers show the number of New Jersey college students who left school in 2007 and defaulted on federal loans nearly doubled over the past fiscal year.

- Paul Fishman, already in office for two months, was formally sworn in yesterday as the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in a star studded ceremony.

- Christie will reportedly begin introducing his cabinet today by announcing Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow as the state’s next attorney general.

- Pending state legislation would allow real estate brokers to pay home-buyers a portion of their commissions at the close of a deal.

- While working on a tight 30 day clock, federal investigators are widening the inquiry and looking to strengthen the case against those who maintain their right to remain silent, hoping to get some of those who have been charged to flip and help with other targets.

- Former Parking Authority director Jimmy King is one of the 19 officials arrested on corruption charges last week that could collect their public pensions and lifetime health benefits, even if convicted. King receives a monthly stipend of $3,350.19.

- When Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith put in a call to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on behalf of purported developer Solomon Dwek, top DEP officials responded promptly to that call, directing subordinates to investigate the status of contaminated Garfield Avenue property that interested Dwek, according to documents obtained this week by the Record. Critics contend that this type of behavior shows how politicized the supposedly independent scientific office has become.

- In our neighbor to the north, mayor Peter Cammarano, who was among those busted in the probe last week, is expected to resign today.

- And the probe was a topic on the campaign trail again yesterday, as Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie said that Gov. Corzine can’t be held responsible for the conduct of the charged public officials. He did note, however, that the arrests happened on the governor’s “watch.”

In other news:

- A plan is on the way to transform Reservoir # 3 in the Heights into a public park, while preserving its historic structures.

- The precautionary advisory to boil water has been lifted for United Water customers on five streets in the Heights.

- A Brazilian police investigation has determined that the death of Jersey City boxer Arturo Gatti was a suicide and a court has ordered the release of his wife, who was once suspected of killing him. Meanwhile, there was a well-attended mass for Gatti last night in Jersey City.

In statewide news:

- Chris Christie says that he was not aware of a tax fraud case prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office during his tenure that has led to a federal lawsuit.

photo by Steve Gold

“We have an agenda we can get through pretty quickly,” city clerk Robert Byrne said as he kicked off Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Despite facing two minor setbacks right off the bat — At-Large Councilman Peter Brennan took a moment to do a little election-year congratulating of Mayor Healy for being named a recipient of a NJ Green Building Council award and the city’s photographer took a few minutes to snap the current council’s official photo — Byrne turned out to be pretty spot-on. The meeting clocked in at just a pinch over 1 hour 10 minutes.

Spinello Steps Down

photo by Steve Gold

Turned out there was a good reason for the city shutterbug to take the official portrait: Wednesday was Mary Spinello’s last council meeting as Ward B Councilwoman. She is stepping down to head up the Jersey City Parking Authority, and will no longer be a council member on April 1.

Spinello, who is currently a deputy executive director at the Jersey City Incinerator Authority, was first elected to the council in 2005, and was not running for reelection this year. Corporation counsel Bill Matsikoudis says Spinello had to step down because at the Parking Authority she’ll be the director and a policy maker, whereas at the Incinerator Authority she was classified as an employee.

Platitudes flowed from her fellow council members as they all said their goodbyes.

It’s been a pleasure … we wish you well … this is a loss to me and this entire City Council … you’ve been more than a colleague, you’ve been a friend.

The niceties quickly turned into campaigning when council president Mariano Vega said there’s been “change you can see in this city.” We’re not sure what that really has to do with Spinello, but we do know it is Team Healy’s campaign slogan.

As she was presented with flowers, the departing councilwoman tearfully thanked the “group of friends” on the council, saying she’d probably be back in City Hall soon enough to discuss parking issues.

“We applaud her service to the residents of her ward and to the entire city,” Mayor Healy said in a statement. “She is a highly educated woman who lives in Jersey City and who will lead one of our busy, autonomous agencies.”

Once her seat is vacated on April 1, the City Council will have 30 days to appoint a replacement — 42 days before the municipal election.

Healy spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill says the mayor knows who he wants in the Ward B seat.

“The mayor would like to see Phil Kenny appointed as the councilman, but of course, it is the decision of the City Council,” she tells JCI. “Phil Kenny has lived in Ward B his entire life, and for the past 10 years has been working for the betterment of the ward as a civic leader.”

Kenny, of course, is running for the seat on Mayor Healy’s ticket, a fact that irks at least one council member.

“It’s absolutely imperative that we choose someone who’s not running this May,” Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop tells JCI. “It gives them an advantage and a head start.”

Resolution on Pension Deferral Passes

photo by Steve Gold

The council passed a resolution to apply to the local finance board in order to defer $14.8 million in payments to pension funds this year. The move came just nine days after the state bill allowing municipalities to do so passed both houses in Trenton, and six weeks after the city introduced a budget that counted on the deferral.

“The city does not have to do this,” council gadfly Yvonne Balcer said as she lodged her objection to the resolution. “It’s a choice.”

Calling the deferral “wholly wrong,” she said the debt obligations will all “come down and crash on people” with huge tax increases, as is currently happening in Hoboken and West New York.

She argued that the pension deferral was largely an election-year stunt. Mayor Healy “wants to say taxes aren’t up” in the middle of a campaign, she said.

Fulop, who had issued a press release denouncing the move earlier in the day, also spoke out against the plan, saying it was the “height of irresponsibility” and an “election-year situation.” He cast the lone “no” vote, saying that the council and city administration were engaging in “fear tactics” by threatening a tax hike if the resolution didn’t pass.

Vega defended the deferral, though, saying that there “would have truly been a tax increase this year” had the city not participated in the program.

Fulop tells JCI that the root of the problem is that the city budget was introduced seven months late and city services were instead funded via temporary appropriations at each council meeting throughout the year.

“The budget is meaningless by the time it comes to us,” he says. “The money has already been spent; there’s nothing to cut.”

When asked about other ways the city could try to make up the $14.8 million deficit that opting out of the deferral program would have created, Fulop says the city “could look to trim more pork” by exploring the consolidation of departments or sharing services with neighboring cities or the county.

“None of that was explored because the budget was seven months late,” he reiterates.

The city’s application still must be approved by the local finance board before becoming official. The next meeting of that body is scheduled for April 8.

Heights Residents Talk Traffic

One of the first reads, Ordinance 09-032, was created to help alleviate what several residents of the Heights’ Western Slope call a traffic nightmare.

As part of construction being done on Truck Route 1&9, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) changed the traffic patterns in the neighborhood, and up-in-arms residents have been fighting to have some of the changes reversed.

Richard Young, who has been spearheading the activism (and who says he was recently threatened for doing so) stressed the “urgency of the situation,” a point echoed by neighborhood resident Jigar Patel. The traffic pattern needs to be fixed “before someone becomes a statistic on the news,” Patel said.

The traffic problem “has gotten beyond our control,” Carlton Avenue resident Christina Ventimilla said. She urged the council to not only change Liberty Avenue back but to also fix her street, which was changed by the DOT from a one-way to a two-way street. She said she no longer allows her nine-year-old son to even walk to the corner store unaccompanied because of the increased traffic.

“[The street] has become a mini Manhattan Avenue,” she said. “This is not what I signed up for.”

Unfortunately for Ventimilla, in its current incarnation, the ordinance doesn’t address her street. It will only reverse the direction of Liberty Avenue between Carlton Avenue and Lake Street from being one-way south to one-way north.

Calling Young a “champion of justice for [his] neighborhood,” Vega thanked him for speaking up. Meanwhile, Byrne assured Patel that the council would unanimously approve the ordnance in two weeks.

The Other First Reads

There were 10 first-read ordinances in addition to the one tackling traffic in the Heights detailed above. You can read them all here.

* Ordinance 09-033 will designate seven additional reserved parking spaces for disabled citizens in front of residences.

* Ordinance 09-034 will approve a 30-year tax abatement for the developer AHM Associates for a project at 320, 324, and 328 Duncan Ave. This is the site of the former A. Harry Moore public housing towers, which are in the process of being demolished to make way for a mixed-income low-rise development.

The new project is slated to include a total of 60 units: seven will be for low-income residents, 42 will be set aside for moderate-income residents, and 11 will be market-rate units.

The city projects that it will collect service charges totaling $159,045 over the 30 years instead of tax revenues and that the project will create about 70 construction jobs and three permanent jobs.

* Ordinance 09-035 will create a deed of easement and a maintenance agreement between the city and developer MEPT Journal Square for parts of the plaza area at Journal Square. In other words, the city is allowing the developer to occupy and use land it owns at the Square, and the developer is agreeing to maintain the property.

* Ordinance 09-036 also creates a deed of easement, but this one goes the other way. This ordinance calls on developer K. Hovnanian to provide the city with a deed of easement for property it owns at the 77 Hudson development near Exchange Place. As part of the terms of the Planning Board’s approval of the project, the developer is required to widen Greene Street and construct a sidewalk between Grand and Sussex Streets, and this easement will make the portions of the street and sidewalk that actually fall on K. Hovnanian property public rights of way.

* Ordinance 09-037 will name Pine Street between Communipaw Avenue and the light rail tracks after the homeless advocate Joseph Del Monte, who recently died. Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson said she’d like the normal 20-day waiting period to be waived once this law is passed in order for it to be completed by Del Monte’s birthday, April 15. Vega concurred and said he’d like the same to be done for Ordinance 09-042 (see below).

* Ordinance 09-038 will authorize the city to either purchase or take via eminent domain 32.52 acres of privately-owned land on the PJP Landfill site off of Sip Avenue under the Pulaski Skyway. The land will be used to create a 30-acre park.

In a separately passed resolution, the city authorized a grant application to the Port Authority to help fund the acquisition of this property.

* Ordinance 09-039 is similar to 09-038. It will authorize the city to either purchase or take via eminent domain approximately 20 acres of land at 13-15 Linden Ave. East to provide a new home for the Jersey City Incinerator Authority and the Department of Public Works. The agencies are currently housed at a site on Route 440 that is included in the redevelopment plan on the former Honeywell site (now known as the Bayfront Redevelopment Plan).

15 Linden Ave. East is currently home to Liberty Self Storage, and 13 Linden Ave. East is home to a junk car lot which Liberty purchased in June 2007. It is unclear if Liberty is interested in selling either lot, and calls to a Liberty representative were not returned as of press time.

* Ordinance 09-040 will authorize the sale of the parcel of land known as the Old Colony site at Route 440 and Communipaw Avenue from the city to Hudson County for $1.4 million. The county wants the land in order to increase open space.

* Ordinance 09-041 will allow the city to convey a few locations that fall within the Morris Canal Redevelopment Plan to the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA). The JCRA will pay the city $1.35 million for 72 and 74 Maple St., 268 Pine St. and 81 Monitor St., which are currently not in use.

* Ordinance 09-042 will name the intersection of Grove and York Streets after the Church of the Nazarene, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary next month.

Second Reads

The council unanimously passed four ordinances into law on Wednesday. There was little objection from the public to the new ordinances, which you can read more about here.

Odds and Ends

* The old Passaic Hose Engine Company headquarters at 14 Bright St. and the empty lot next to it were sold for $705,000 at a public auction held on March 19. The firehouse, which was once coveted by J City Theater for use as an arts space, is now the property of Pierre and Barbara Hohenberg. Dr. Hohenberg is the senior vice provost for research at New York University. He tells JCI that he has no intention to do anything drastic to the property. “It will be used as a personal residence for me and/or members of my immediate family,” he says.

* Residents Shirley Harthouse and June Jones were dismayed that representatives from NJ Transit were not present at this week’s Jersey City Mobility 2050 meeting. They both expressed the need for better bus service in Greenville and Bergen-Lafayette.

* Jones also lamented the way the US Postal Service was treating former customers of its now-closed Lafayette branch on Pacific Avenue. She told the council that persons who rented PO boxes at that branch, who have been moved to new branches, are having their box numbers changed and being forced to pay an additional deposit for keys.

* The city approved two resolutions to allow the JCPD to apply for extra funding. The first will let the department file for additional funding under the Department of Justice’s COPS program, which was recently reinstated by President Obama after not being funded during the Bush administration. The city hopes that money from this program could assist with the cost of 40 newly-hired officers. The JCPD will also apply for a $197,935 grant from the state attorney general under the Safe and Secure Communities program. The city hopes this money will absorb some of the cost of eight officer salaries.

* The Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP) got a $4,480,445 boost from grant money received by the city to help “youth and adults who face serious barriers to employment.” The city also increased the funding for its Building Trades Apprenticeship Program, which JCETP runs, by $20,000.

* The city awarded a $3,175,800 contract to Green Construction, Inc. for the renovation project at Hamilton Park. The process has been a long and contentious one thus far, with several bidders lodging objections to the bidding process and creating the need for a re-bid. However, with this contract awarded on Wednesday, the project seems to have momentum again.

* What else did the city agree to pay for on Wednesday?
- A five year lease extension with the US Army for the Police Academy facility at Caven Point ($288,211.20)
- Professional consulting engineering services ($150,000)
- Refunds/credits to settle tax appeals filed by property owners ($90,246.26)
- Computer maintenance and support for the JCPD’s new communication center ($85,000)
- Boiler and HVAC maintenance ($60,000)
- Panasonic Tough Books ($21,452)
- Maintenance on the JCPD radio system ($17,992.96)
- Boundary and Topographic surveys at Riverview Fisk Park and Summit Cornelison Park ($14,900)
- One year of digitizing and tracking foreclosures and pre-foreclosures ($10,640)

As we reported on Monday, the pension payment deferral plan passed both the state Senate and Assembly. Under the bill, Jersey City will be eligible to not pay a total of $14.8 million into state pension funds this year only. Good thing, since the city had already factored this potential savings into its FY2009 budget.

Here’s the Journal‘s editorial on the subject today:

Jersey City would benefit from this bill because it anticipated passage of the measure, but it may not be enough to prevent a hole in its budget. The city expected a deferment of $15 million, but that was for one full annual payment.

A 50 percent commitment may mean the county seat would face a multi-million-dollar hole in its $460 million budget that was introduced last month. Unless there is another one-shot fix in the works or more cuts in spending, city taxes may increase. City taxpayers should expect an explanation from City Hall of how the state legislation affects them.

Here’s the problem: The Journal is dead wrong, a fact confirmed by city business administrator Brian O’Reilly today.

The deferment of $14.8 million the city expected was not for one full annual payment. Know why? Because deferring an entire year’s payment was never a part of the proposed state legislation, even when it was first introduced back in December.

All that the unnamed editorial writer would have had to do was think back to just over a month ago, when (s)he wrote the following:

City officials took into account a deferral of half its pension funding obligations for the year. By excluding payments into pension accounts, Jersey City hopes to save nearly $15 million.

Instead, the paper chose to fit a square peg in a round hole and use bad information to argue its position against the pension deferral plan and against “smoke-and-mirrors” city budgetary processes (a position we might have some common ground on). By doing so, the Journal does the city a disservice by continuing to muddle the discourse in this city about budgets and taxes in a year when those subjects are on a good many residents’ minds.