Mayor Steven M. Fulop Delivers his 6^th annual State of the City Address

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop will deliver his sixth annual State of the City Address tonight, highlighting efforts over the last 5 years to change Jersey City and goals for 2019.

“We have seen progress at every level in Jersey City, in the last year and over the last five years, and it is important to recognize our efforts and assess where we are heading,” said Mayor Fulop.  “Transformational improvements can sometimes pose great challenges, but working together with residents, we’ve seen what we can accomplish as a City.”

Highlights for 2018 include:

• Officially surpassing the administration’s staffing goals with nearly 970 JCPD officers.
• Reductions in all major areas of crime.
• Five straight years without a tax increase and 4 credit rating upgrades.
• The closing on the property for the Bayfront Purchase Agreement, a nearly $100 million dollar project for one of the largest mixed-income communities in the region.
• Signing on to the Vision Zero initiative, a national effort towards eliminating roadway fatalities and injuries through a powerful, data-driven Action Plan.
• The award of $3.5 million dollars in federal funding to begin construction on the City’s portion of the 111-mile pedestrian and bicycle trail which travels across Northern New Jersey following the former Morris Canal route.

• Increasing the environment protection of our drinking water at the Jersey City Water Treatment Plant.
• The payroll tax passed for non-local residents on corporations, in which 100 percent of all funds collected will go to Jersey City schools.

Some of the many upcoming initiatives the Mayor will announce for 2019 include:

• Begin construction on the second and third building of the Jackson Square development.
• Redesign and expansion of Caven Point to serve thousands of more residents. Our goal is to acquire the land behind Caven Point and use the narrow, longer area for parking while repurposing the current parking lot into additional ball fields.
• Investment to formally open Reservoir 3 with path, lighting and fencing.
• Integrate the first city-run bus system in the state. The RFP will soon go out for a partner transportation provider to better connect the south side of Jersey City to the PATH system.
• Bring indoor vertical farming facilities throughout Jersey City in different locations that will yield thousands of pounds of healthy food to communities that sometimes struggle for access.
• Start lead remediation project for Jersey City schools. The MUA will start installing a lead filtration system in certain schools and the goal is to have all schools remediated by January 2020.