Public commenter alleges Jersey City audit compromise, urges county emergency action on housing

A public commenter at the Hudson County Board meeting on Feb. 13 accused Jersey City’s audit process of being compromised and urged county intervention in local housing conditions.

"Since the City audit is compromised, millions of dollars are being funneled away from citizens into pockets of big developers, landlords, and Stephen Fulop's campaign fund," said Eve Taylor during the public‑comment period, according to the meeting transcript. She said municipal prosecutors are "refusing to enforce fire code, building code, and rent control, anti‑tenant harassment statute," and described her personal circumstances as a resident with a disability who has faced housing‑related hardships.

Taylor asked the county to declare a formal state of emergency for Jersey City housing in order to mobilize disaster relief and asked that Commissioner William O'Dea lead a related housing emergency task force. The transcript records the request but does not include a staff or commissioner response that accepted or rejected the request on the record.

What the record shows and does not show: Taylor's remarks are recorded as a public comment and contain specific allegations about the local audit firm and prosecutorial enforcement; the board took no formal action on the allegations during the meeting. No county investigation or staff directive appears in the transcript to address the points she raised.

The board’s clerk had earlier advised public commenters that comments on agenda items are limited to five minutes and non‑agenda commenters to three minutes; Taylor’s remarks were delivered in the three‑minute public‑comment slot. The transcript notes no formal rebuttal or county staff commitment to pursue the specific audit allegations during the meeting.