On Wednesday, Oct. 18 the Hoboken City Council and public discussed the Washington Street Redesign Project and the possibility of extending construction hours. The council approved the installation of a temporary boathouse despite questions from the public about its cost, and also approved a professional service contract for a microgrid feasibility study. Construction on Washington Street is scheduled to restart work Monday, according to Business Administrator Stephen Marks. The project was temporarily put on hold at the end of September when a woman was hit by a fallen pole in a construction zone. She reportedly suffered no major injuries. As a result the city and the project manager requested information on the contractor’s safety protocols and an updated health and safety plan. He added that the city received the updates, including updated traffic and pedestrian safety plans, and the contractor was installing signage and temporary striping to direct vehicles and pedestrians. Click here for more.
In Jersey City, the 2017 Ward E council election race heated up last week when outgoing council member Candice Osborne officially announced her support for Rebecca Symes to succeed her representing downtown Jersey City. In making the endorsement, Osborne cited Symes’s experience in government and in the private sector advocating for progressive causes and her vision for making Jersey City a national model of government innovation. “To replace me on the city council I want someone who will work hard, who will be pragmatic and who understands downtown Jersey City,” said Councilwoman Osborne in an email sent to supporters. “While I am certain many of the candidates possessed two of the three characteristics that most mattered to me in this election, I feel that only one person successfully demonstrated all three of them to me – Rebecca Symes.” Click here for more.
When it comes to best practices, North Bergen is tops. The municipality ranked 84 percent in the state’s Best Practices inventory program, the township commissioners announced at their most recent meeting. The annual program, launched by the Christie administration years ago, mandates every New Jersey municipality answer a series of questions related to their financial expenditures, transparency, and management. For instance, one of the questions asks if the municipality has adopted a written vehicle use policy banning personal use of municipal vehicles outside of commuting. Another inquires as to whether or not the municipality has maintained a current website containing past and current budgets and most recent annual financial statements. Click here for more.
