New Administration Prioritizes Infrastructure, Restores Vital Services, and Cleans Up Inherited Fiscal Challenges to Protect Taxpayers
One year ago, a newly elected leadership team stepped into City Hall on a promise to chart a completely new course for Hackensack. Over the past 365 days, Mayor Caseen Gaines, Deputy Mayor Agatha Toomey, and Council Members Roberto Diaz, Philip Carroll, and Sonya Clark-Collins have quietly executed a practical reset of municipal government, shifting the focus back to the essential services and long-term financial stability that residents rely on most.
The new administration hit the ground running, immediately prioritizing the daily quality-of-life services that directly impact all neighborhoods throughout the City, such as restoring twice-a-week trash collection, revitalizing local parks, and establishing a regular, dialogue between the police department and the community in all five wards. By reviving both the Rent Stabilization Board and the Recreation Advisory Board, the Council has worked to ensure that everyday residents finally have a loud and clear voice in their own local government.
Nowhere has this shift in governance been more apparent than in the City’s disciplined new approach to redevelopment. In a clear shift from the direction and policies of the previous twelve years, the Mayor and Council have not granted a single long-term tax-exemption, or PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreement, for luxury rentals.
In fact, in their first meeting, the new administration took immediate action to rescind three last-minute developer agreements rushed through in the previous administration’s final days, while also halting a costly, sports dome project in Johnson Park that would have been too expensive for taxpayers to build and maintain.
This commitment to fiscal oversight led to a top-to-bottom audit of existing developer deals with the City. The investigation revealed that the previous administration systematically failed to enforce the full terms of its own agreements, allowing twelve developers to fall into default, shortchanging Hackensack taxpayers of a staggering $5.4 million—at least—in unclaimed revenue. The current council’s aggressive enforcement campaign has already delivered major financial relief, successfully reclaiming approximately $2 million of those funds to date. Moving forward, the City has established a strict standard that developers will pay in full, on time, every time.
Additionally, the council took immediate, proactive steps to address critical internal budget crises inherited when it took office. In its final months, the previous administration oversaw a massive, unannounced 94% monthly spike in out-of-network medical claims, which forced a $2.6 million penalty premium onto the self-insured City’s doorstep. To protect taxpayers, the current administration launched an immediate audit of provider payments. By enforcing strict baseline oversight and adding a zero-cost screening agent, the City successfully reduced that monthly spike to just 5%. The Council also tightened its belt internally, reducing the rest of the municipal operating budget, including salaries and daily operations, by six figures.
To enhance neighborhood resilience without burdening local residents with the bill, the Council prioritized a “Grant-First” strategy. The administration successfully secured over $11.5 million in state and federal grants, as well as debt-relief, for critical infrastructure, flood mitigation, and park improvements with zero local tax impact, including the recovery of $136,000 in forgotten and unclaimed grant money left on the table by the previous administration due to unfiled paperwork.
This focus on core, reliable services has reshaped daily operations across Hackensack. The administration replaced an atrophied snow removal fleet that had been neglected to the point that only one of the nine needed vehicles was still working. Additionally, when a massive $17 million budget shortfall in the school district threatened to disrupt local education, the council authorized a one-time, budget-neutral emergency transfer of funds. This prevented midyear layoffs of nearly 100 school teachers and staff, protected student instruction, and safeguarded local property values.
“Turnarounds take time, and you cannot fully undo twelve years in just 365 days,” Mayor Caseen Gaines said. “But we are moving as deliberately and aggressively as we can to make Hackensack a place where everyone who wants to live here can afford to live here—and truly enjoy living here. All knots eventually come to the comb, and now that we are here, we are proud to do the heavy lifting.”
Reflecting on the challenges and milestones of the past 12 months, the administration is focused on maintaining this momentum, returning to proper, fiscally responsible budgeting practices, and actively connecting with residents and the community.
