JERSEY CITY COUNCILMEMBER JAMES SOLOMON RELEASES REPORT ON “BOAT PAYMENTS” – FINDS WIDESPREAD VIOLATIONS OF STATE LAWS CAPPING PAYMENTS
JERSEY CITY COUNCILMEMBER JAMES SOLOMON RELEASES REPORT ON “BOAT PAYMENTS” – FINDS WIDESPREAD VIOLATIONS OF STATE LAWS CAPPING PAYMENTS
JERSEY CITY, NJ–Today, Councilmember James Solomon released a report alleging “serious concerns that significant taxpayer dollars are being improperly spent” on accrued sick or vacation leave. These payments, colloquially referred to as ‘boat payments,’ must follow state laws governing their accrual and distributions. However, the report finds that each government reviewed – Hudson County, Hudson County Schools of Technology, Jersey City, Jersey City Public Schools and the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority – had at least one contract out of compliance with those laws. Other key findings include:
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Of 42 documents, 47.62% were not clearly compliant with state law.
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Within three government entities, (Hudson County School of Technology, Jersey City Public Schools, and the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority), the majority of their contracts were found to be non-compliant, with 70.83% of reviewed documents failing to adhere to relevant laws.
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Contracts by the City of Jersey City and Hudson County were generally in compliance, but each had at least one contract that was either missing language or contained vague wording that is not compliant with state law.
“Jersey City is in a serious budget crisis — and it shouldn’t fall on homeowners and working families to foot the bill for corrupt and illegal payments,” said Councilmember Solomon. In an interview with the NJ Star-Ledger discussing a recent boat payment of over a million dollars, paid out to retired Hudson County Schools of Technology administrator Frank Gargiulo, Councilmember Solomon added, “Ultimately, a million-dollar payout is nuts…What that shows is folks counting on nobody looking.”
Across the state, a Star-Ledger investigation found that “since 2020, 780 of the government’s highest-paid employees across the state received retirement payouts worth $76.7 million.” In addition, a 2017 report by the New Jersey State Comptroller examining 60 municipalities across the state found that 57 municipalities were in violation of laws capping boat payments.
The Councilmember’s report can be found by accessing this link.
