Newark council approves procurement-card authority, faces heated public critique of tax abatements and workforce compliance

Newark Municipal Council adopted an ordinance to allow the city to use procurement cards and advanced or voted on several tax-abatement and neighborhood-district measures at its regular meeting on Jan. 8, 2025, while multiple speakers pressed the administration for clearer enforcement and proof that local residents benefit from developments.

The procurement-card ordinance, amending Title 2 of the municipal code, passed after city finance staff told the council the cards are not traditional consumer credit cards, will be issued only to a few authorized individuals, and will be tied to specific budget lines and purchase limits. "The procurement cards will only be delivered to specific individuals as authorized by the business administrator," Benjamin Guzman, assistant director of finance, told the council, and he said vendors would be paid promptly—"within a window of immediately to 48 hours" after a transaction is presented.

Why it matters: City staff said procurement cards will let departments buy from certain vendors that do not accept standard municipal purchasing workflows. Speakers in public comment asked for full policy transparency and for safeguards after past procurement problems.

Tax abatements and housing: public critique and administration responses

Several agenda items granting long-term tax abatements drew the largest public response. Lisa Parker, a frequent public speaker at council meetings, criticized successive 20- and 25-year abatements to developers, saying they leave longtime Newark homeowners and school budgets bearing a disproportionate tax burden. "These developers ... do not contribute into our public education system," Parker said in public comment. Multiple other residents and community leaders…