During a historic budget crisis, the Solomon administration has cut services and eliminated positions, or provided inadequate increases, to vital services. However, the administration has provided an increase of $1 million to the Division of Police. This will harm working-class Jersey City residents who rely on services provided by the Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Public Works, Department of Housing, Economic Development & Commerce, and the Law Department.

A $3 million cut in the proposed police overtime or salary, which is less than 3% of the total police budget, could fund the following:  

- Direct rental assistance through Division of Housing Preservation

- Fund the ARRIVE unit program and provide further seed money for mental health crisis response work

- Restore the composting program with funding to begin bringing those services in-house in 2027

- Restore our park maintenance contract until we can bring it in-house and create jobs for Jersey City residents

- Give our firefighters funding, 7 of which were recently injured in a 5 alarm fire

- Fully fund all bus driver positions for senior transportation

- Fund in-house attorney positions for labor and litigation, clawing back millions in outside contracts for legal representation over time

- Fund positions across Construction Code (AKA fire inspectors), Affordable Housing Fire inspectors, and Housing Preservation staff

- Restore critical cuts to staff and case management software at the Divisions of Animal Care & Control, Veterans Affairs, and Immigration Affairs

- Fund positions across the Divisions of Disease Prevention and Community Health & Wellness