GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (April 26, 2026)(CNBNews)–To better keep you informed, we have made a video of the mayor and council meeting’s agenda for your perusal. Normally, we would have copied and pasted the agenda onto our website, but because Gloucester City posts the documents as a PDF each month, that process is very time‑consuming. The raw video is below this article. To pause a page of the agenda, click on the page you want to read.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 PM, Monday, April 27, 2026, at the Police Administrative Building, 313 Monmouth Street, in the courtroom.
The 37‑page agenda contains several items that stand out. For example, the agenda includes a resolution that will introduce the 2026-27 city budget, but the amount of the budget is not included. Also missing from the resolution is the amount of the local property tax; does it increase? If so by how much. Instead, the resolution states that residents can stop at the municipal building if they want to know that information. There was a time when the entire budget would be published in the local paper. And, not too long ago, the city offered a Friendly budget that was easy to read.
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Salary Ordinances With Missing Details
Near the end of the agenda, an ordinance amending the salaries of Gloucester City employees will be introduced on first reading. It is divided into:
- APPENDIX A — Employees hired after January 2, 2011
- APPENDIX B — Employees hired before January 1, 2011
The salaries listed in Appendix B range from $90,067 to $95,552 by 2028.
What is confusing — and concerning — is that the ordinance does not specify which departments these salaries apply to. There is no indication whether the pay scale is for white‑collar workers, police, fire, public works, or water department employees.
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Fire Department Salary Amendments
Further down, council is being asked to approve amendments regulating the salaries of fire department officers:
- Battalion Chief: $106,185 to $123,095 by 2029
- Fire Lieutenant: $115,721 to $134,150 by 2029
- Deputy Chief: $125,946 to $147,146 by 2029
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More Vehicle Purchases — With No Public Accounting
Council is once again being asked to approve the purchase of four new vehicles, including:
- 2025 Chevy Tahoe for the fire department’s upper echelon — $75,000
- Three Dodge Durangos for the police department — cost not to exceed $125,204
This raises a recurring question:
How many vehicles does the police department currently have, and how many employees make up the department?
We have asked, but were told — in so many words — that “the information is not for the public to know.”
That is not an acceptable answer. Under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and the Common Law Right of Access, a public agency must:
- provide the record,
- cite a specific legal exemption, or
- state in writing that the record does not exist.
They cannot simply refuse because they do not want the public to see the information. Transparency is not optional in this state, especially when taxpayer dollars are being spent.
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Grant Application for Playground Swings
Council will also consider approving an application to the Camden County Open Space, Farmland, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund for a $25,000 grant to purchase new playground swings.
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Marina Fee Increases
An ordinance increasing the cost of boat slips at the City Marina is also up for a vote. The proposed changes include:
- Local residents: Increase from $1,200 to $1,500
- Non‑residents: Increase to $2,000
- Boats over 24 feet: Increase to $50 per foot
The ordinance also raises fees for launching boats and jet skis.