Mayor Roberts is postponing an enormous tax increase until after the May Mayoral elections. I am writing you to explain why the City of Hoboken incorrectly sent out 3rd and 4th quarter tax bills and why I sponsored a resolution at last Council meeting to have the 4th quarter tax bill be rescinded.

The City budget is the most responsible obligation that a City Council member has and over the past 4 years spending by Mayor Roberts has increased some $20,000,000.00 without justification or explanation.

In this year's budget, Mayor Roberts has numerous one-shot revenue (which is not new, since he has done this since coming into office). He has built into this year's budget up-front Pilot payments from NJ Transit (NJT) and Port Authority (PA) in the amount of $5,500,000.00 and the sale of City's Municipal Garage (Observer Highway) to pluck a $7,900,000.00 shortfall. The payments from NJT and PA total about 25 years of up front individual payments, which will be taken from future budgets. The proposed sale of the garage requires an annual lease payment of $250,000.00 per year for future budgets. Mayor Roberts's gross mismanagement of the City of Hoboken finances over the past 4 years just continues.

These one-shot revenue items are a disaster to future budgets. What will next years budget look like? Will the Mayor look to sell City Hall as a one-shot revenue source? Mayor Roberts has an "addiction to spending" and you are not legally obligated to pay the May tax bill until a final budget is approved by a 2/3 vote of the City Council.