Mayor Says State Has Englewood in ‘Vise Grip’

Faced with cuts to state aid and an over reliance on local property taxes, Englewood can leverage its people and institutions to overcome the city’s economic woes, Mayor Frank Huttle told a crowd in his annual State of the City address Tuesday night.

The city has a forecasted $2.9 million deficit brought on by declining property values and high debt payments, Huttle said in his address at BergenPAC. Cuts to aid from Trenton have led the city to rely heavily on property taxes, which make up 75 percent of the city’s income.

The “vise grip of state government” has been imposed on the city’s budget through cuts and mandates, Huttle told the group.

“The governor should not balance the state's own budget on the backs of municipalities,” Huttle said.

Despite a message once touted by Gov. Chris Christie, Huttle said the state was still faced with a harsh economic reality.

“There ain’t no Jersey Comeback,” Huttle said, in a reference Christie’s former slogan. “At best we are in the middle of a great recession.”

Since the recession hit, property tax appeals have cost Englewood $6 million, he said.

Labor costs in the city have increased in recent years while staffing levels are lower, according to the mayor. The city has less full time staffers than five or six years ago.

“We are paying significantly more for our employees,” he said. “There has been a conscious decision to constantly evaluate our labor force.”

A new team of top officials brought in under Huttle’s term, including a new city manager and human resources director, have led to management improvements, he said.

“There is a responsive government,” he said. “It’s not like the old days when a certain city manager would just turn his chair to the public.”

Council meetings have been doubled in an effort to increase transparency, he added. Englewood’s Economic Development Corporation has also been reorganized, along with the Environmental Commission. All boards and commissions will report quarterly to the mayor and council.

Huttle highlighted partnerships with nonprofit groups to provide services at city facilities. A new program will bring coaches to work with city young people and the Boys and Girls Club to operate Mackay Park’s rink.

“We don’t have the money as a city to do everything we should do,” Huttle said. “We’re bringing these organizations in to provide valuable services to our community, particularly our children, at minimal cost to the taxpayers.”