Bayonne council advances bond, redevelopment agreements and dozens of contracts; several items withdrawn for further vetting

The Bayonne City Council on March 18 ordered final passage of a $3,000,000 bond ordinance to replace a sanitary sewer on Avenue W and advanced multiple redevelopment financial agreements and professional-services contracts.

The council conducted second readings and moved to final passage for several ordinances: a $3 million bond ordinance for sanitary-sewer replacement; a financial agreement with John F. Kennedy Urban Renewal LLC covering multiple Kennedy Boulevard properties; and a reapproval of a financial agreement with Chanty 5 Urban Renewal LLC for a Broadway property. For each of these items the clerk reported that no protests were filed and council recorded motions and roll calls to close the public hearings and order final passage.

Council also considered a range of engineering, planning and construction agreements on consent. Notable approvals included a one-year agreement with NV5, Inc. for TA202 pedestrian bridge design ($441,889.72), a contract award for a 2023 ESU FW loadmaster ($160,379), and a change order for the Hudson River Walkway project increasing the contract by $30,816.50. The council approved multiple capped engineering services agreements with firms (amounts and caps recorded in meeting materials).

Several items were withdrawn or postponed for additional vetting. Ordinance 05 was withdrawn in favor of a resolution directing the planning board to draft a new master plan; the workforce-housing ordinance (Item 07) was discussed at length and ultimately withdrawn so law and finance departments could refine draft language and assess fiscal impacts. A proposed transfer of residual improvement-fund balances (R11) was also pulled so staff could provide more detailed backup and memos.

The meeting record includes a number of appointments and administrative resolutions: the mayor submitted an appointment of John Armstrong as acting city engineer through June 30, 2026, and a planning-board appointment through December 31, 2026. The council also adopted routine communications, officer reports and a consent calendar of resolutions covering a range of municipal contracts and grant-administration agreements.

What passed (selected highlights):

- Bond ordinance for sanitary-sewer replacement on Avenue W: $3,000,000 appropriated; council ordered final passage.

- Financial agreements with John F. Kennedy Urban Renewal LLC and Chanty 5 Urban Renewal LLC: second readings closed with no filed protests and resolutions ordering final passage.

- NV5, Inc.: agreement for TA202 South Cove pedestrian bridge design, $441,889.72.

- Zenith Construction: change order for Hudson River Walkway increased by $30,816.50 (total adjusted contract amount noted in record).

- Personno Geodano: awarded Veterans Park improvements, $247,112; and improvements to 16th Street Mini Golf Course awarded at a bid price of $831,356.

What was withdrawn or postponed (selected):

- Ordinance 05: withdrawn and to be replaced with a resolution directing the planning board to prepare a new master plan.

- Ordinance 07 (workforce housing): discussed and withdrawn pending law department vetting and financial impact analysis.

- R11 (transfer of residual improvement funds): withdrawn for supplemental explanation and supporting memos.

Several contract amounts, project descriptions, block/lot identifiers and vote tallies are recorded in the meeting materials and the clerk’s roll calls; those materials are the authoritative source for procurement and legal thresholds. Council adjourned at the end of its agenda after recording votes for consent and nonconsent items.