Mayor Bhalla Vetoes Ordinance on Nonprofit Permit Fees

HOBOKEN, NJ - Mayor Ravi Bhalla has vetoed an ordinance that would have put an end to permit fees for local nonprofits.

“While I acknowledge and appreciate the good intentions behind this ordinance, it is deeply flawed and ultimately not in the best interest of our community," Bhalla said in a statement.

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The ordinance, sponsored by Council President Jen Giattino and co-sponsored by Councilman Ruben Ramos, was approved 5-4 with Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, Councilman Mike Russo, and Councilman Joe Quintero joining them in voting yes.

Giattino was critical of the mayor’s stance. Speaking with TAPinto, she said that she found the veto “disheartening for our community, especially for those who understand the vital role our non-profit organizations play in shaping the fabric of Hoboken which clearly our mayor does not.”

In his statement, Bhalla noted that if this ordinance was to be brought into effect, the financial burden would be transferred to Hoboken taxpayers, “the costs associated with sanitation, maintenance, and other fees will still need to be covered,” he said.

Bhalla also raised the point that one of the primary discussions surrounding the budget was the want to generate more revenue streams in the city, “this ordinance is fundamentally opposed to those goals.”

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Quintero, who originally voted for the ordinance but is now in support of the veto said that while he, too, acknowledges the good intentions behind the ordinance, that some of his council colleagues “seem intent on establishing a budget that would decimate our reserves to create an artificially low tax increase. "I can't support something that would put even more pressure on the City's revenues. Doing away with these fees will lead to even more pressure on our tax rate in the near future.”

At their meeting on July 10th, the Hoboken council approved amendments to the $146,921,014.87 municipal spending plan, bringing the tax increase down to about 2.9 percent. However, the amended budget was voted down 7-2 .

Fisher, who, along with Ramos, spearheaded the effor to lower the potential tax increase, criticized the veto telling TAPinto that she believed it was a political move which put “politics before people."

“This is an important fix to something we never should have agreed to in the first place - and increases access to and enjoyment of Hoboken’s public spaces."

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