Overview
- The City Council approved the $886.4 million municipal budget in an 8-0-1 vote after a special meeting held Wednesday, Aug. 26, with amendments that cut the levy slightly to a 15.15% municipal tax increase.
- The state package totals $120 million, including a $105 million loan whose terms required the city to raise municipal property taxes by at least 15% to receive the aid.
- Homeowners will see the increase on Q3 bills and the city estimates the municipal portion will cost the average residential property owner about $51 more per month.
- The Solomon administration says it paired the tax increase with roughly $58 million in spending cuts and protections for core services to avoid mass layoffs, while critics and public commenters warned the rise could force longtime residents to leave.
- The budget covers only the city portion of property taxes and follows the administration’s claim that Jersey City entered 2026 with a roughly $254.8 million structural deficit and about $109 million in prior‑year obligations, setting up negotiations over loan terms and new revenue or oversight measures for 2027.