Zimmer Promises Tax Cut, Fiscal Responsibility in State of the City Address

Mayor Dawn Zimmer outlined ways to cut spending, operate more efficiently and introduced a $20 million bond to acquire land for more open space, during the first State of the City Address on Tuesday night.

The mayor promised that her administration will cut taxes “significantly” this year. The mayor will introduce the 2011 budget during the March 2 City Council meeting.

“Taxes have not come down as much or as quickly as I hoped,” she said during her remarks, which were interrupted by applause 27 times. “But meeting the challenges of today will ensure a fiscally responsible tomorrow.”

The mayor was introduced by Stevens Institute of Technology Povost George Korfiatis, who called Zimmer "a great friend of Stevens and a great mayor of Hoboken."

The DeBaun auditorium was filled with City Directors, members of several of the city's municipal boards, City Council members, members of the public as well as candidates in this May's on Tuesday night.

Zimmer also outlined her administration’s three major goals: “to operate as fiscally responsibly and cost-effectively” to reduce taxes; “address our city’s significant infrastructure challenges” and “improve the quality of life for all Hoboken residents.”

As part of being more fiscally responsible, the mayor said that the city is currently completing a personnel review process, which will evaluate every department.

“We will make certain that we deliver all of the services that Hoboken needs,” Zimmer said, “but we will do so as cost-effectively as possible.” Last fall the city and to cut cost.

As part of an effort to be more fiscally responsible, the mayor asked the City Council to “maintain a responsible level of .”

The 2011 budget will be introduced by Finance Director Nick Trasente during the March 2 City Council meeting.

“Our surplus is not a luxury,” Zimmer said. “It’s a necessity if we’re going to be able meet the future needs of our City.”

The mayor promised on Tuesday night that the $20 million bond she introduced to acquire park land will not cost Hoboken’s tax payers “a single additional dollar.” The bond is supposed to acquire land for parks in the western side of town, she said.

The next park to be completed will be , all the way uptown close to the Weehawken border. Zimmer predicted a Fall opening of the park. The playground on —which is still closed after the rest of the park was opened partially in November—will be opened this spring, the mayor said. 

Another costly problem high on the list of the mayor’s priorities is the city’s . Zimmer said she wants to pay for the repairs through bonding and grants.

"With shipworms eating our waterfront, termites at City Hall, and flooding," Zimmer said, "I sometimes feel like I am taking on the plagues of Hoboken."

Zimmer also discussed the subject of development, which she said should be divided into good versus bad, rather than "pro" versus "anti."

"Development must meet the needs of residents," Zimmer said, "not maximize the profits of the developers." 

On the topic of snow removal, , the mayor admitted that the city could have handled things better.

“We plain and simply did not do a good enough job with snow removal,” she said.

The mayor said that in response to the “extraordinary winter” and the , the city will implement an online service request and complaint system. Zimmer said that that way the city will be able to track all kinds of service requests, ranging from potholes and graffiti to streets that need plowing.

The online system will also make it easier for people to reach the mayor or council person they’re looking for, Zimmer said. 

Zimmer also said that she will use grant money to solve some of the city's problems, such as a termite problem in the Parking Utility (which will have to move out of City Hall, the mayor said), the city's antiquated phone and computer system as well as lack of heating at the Multi Service Center.  Zimmer said she will be fixing those problems this year. 

Besides the problems with the city's infrastructure and the lack of park land, Zimmer also mentioned some other problems plaguing the city, such as water main breaks, flooding and inherited problems from the past. But, she ended the speech on a high note.

"Our future is bright because of our history," Zimmer said, "and because of our incredible potential."

Correction appended: a previous version of this article stated Dr. George Korfiatis' wrong title.