City department heads briefed the municipal council on an array of procurement and finance items, and council members asked for more detailed fiscal backup ahead of formal votes.

Public‑safety contracts and technology renewals: Director Gheers summarized contract resolutions for ammunition (Lawman Supply; $61,543.50), fiber and cabling at Engine Company 10 (Millennium Communications Group; $90,647.90), portable radios funded by a 2024 URC grant ($163,580.37), and fleet parts ($200,000). The Department of Public Safety’s communications division also requested a Google Workspace renewal for public‑safety email ($397,607.10), partial 911 maintenance ($79,114.07), and a $1,665,425.52 renewal for the CAD/Infoshare system; staff explained an emergency $20,700 fiber repair to restore communications to a Firehouse and citywide 911 components.

Budget actions and debt issuance: Finance director Kyle (S10) detailed additional grant awards totaling $3,252,000 and appropriation transfers totaling $4,000,000 to cover overtime, third‑party contracts and personnel reallocation (about 0.5% of the adopted budget). He also described cancellation of stale capital/reserve balances to replenish fund balance, a $312,000 payment to NW Financial, and a proposed ordinance to repurpose $58.4 million in capital funding for more flexible use. A cluster of emergency appropriations was presented together: $14,000,000 for a special emergency appropriation (second reading), $22,500,000 for health‑insurance/tax‑appeal settlements, and an authorization to issue notes not to exceed $36,500,000 to fund liabilities not in the adopted budget. Staff said note closings are targeted for Dec. 24 and asked council to consider timing constraints.

Housing and program contracts: The business administrator presented a resolution to approve the sale of 145 Ocean Avenue (a senior housing property) to Harborview Urban Renewal LLC for roughly $22,000,000 and requested authorization to subordinate the city’s $1,500,000 mortgage to permit new financing; the property will remain deed‑restricted through Dec. 2033 per existing covenant. The finance office and Housing Authority items included HOPWA awards ($600,865) and CSBG allocations ($462,736 second tranche) with staff advising that HOPWA administration for Hudson County will transition to New York in 2026.

Council follow up: Councilmembers requested detailed line‑item breakdowns for the appropriation transfers and a clear projection of tax/revenue impacts for the proposed 30‑year tax abatement and note issuance schedule before final votes. Several items were informational in caucus; the only recorded formal action in caucus was the motion to adjourn, which passed by acclamation. Most procurement resolutions remain on the agenda for the public meeting where votes will be recorded.