![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/James-Solomon-e1764716595514.png\")
<\/a>Facebook photo.<\/p>\nBy John Heinis\/Hudson County View<\/p>\n
\u201cOur city is in a fiscal crisis, and the plan we proposed accomplished our goal of solving the crisis in one year while protecting core city services. Since our announcement, I\u2019ve heard from residents that the size and speed of this increase is too large and too fast for household finances to keep up with,\u201d Solomon said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo that end, I\u2019ve directed my team to identify further cuts to city services and propose a plan that provides relief to residents and spreads out costs in advance of a special meeting of the City Council on July 1st.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Thursday<\/a>, Solomon said he was putting the aforementioned measure up to a vote with the governing body one day after alleging the city was dealing with $109 million in unpaid bills<\/a>. The mayor also presented finances at Monday\u2019s caucus<\/a>, all as HCV first reported.<\/p>\n \u201d \u2026 This is 13 times the size of the budget deficit that Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani announced in New York City based on the size of our budgets, right? Obviously, his budget is $125 billion and ultimately he had a $5 billion gap that he had to close,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cOur budget is around $800 million and we had a $255 million budget gap to close \u2013 that\u2019s 28 percent, 29 percent of our operating budget: That is unprecedented.\u201d<\/p>\n While Council members Joel Brooks, Jake Ephros, and Eleana Little said Monday afternoon, just prior to the caucus meeting, that they would support the proposal<\/a>, there were not five votes to advance the resolution, according to sources familiar with the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI must be direct with the residents of Jersey City \u2013 reducing and spreading this increase out over time will come at a cost to services we all rely on every day. We will feel these cuts,\u201d Solomon added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe size and scope of the city\u2019s fiscal emergency means we are facing very real tradeoffs and choices with every decision we make.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result of postponing the vote, the administration is pulling the proposed contacts for park maintenance and composting services on tonight\u2019s agenda totaling approximately $1 million.<\/p>\n Additionally, they plan to work with the council to identify additional cuts to city services and operations that will make it possible to potentially lower the proposed tax increase, while achieving a balanced budget in 2026 and 2027.<\/p>\n In advance of the July 1st Special Meeting, Solomon will hold a community town hall on Sunday, June 28th at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Annex to solicit additional concerns and ideas from the public.<\/p>\n