| Year | Total Budget | $ Change | YoY Growth | Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $105,273,480 | — | Baseline | 0% | |
| 2013 | $111,512,374 | +$6,238,894 | +5.9% | +5.9% | |
| 2014 | $110,132,821 | -$1,379,553 | -1.2% | +4.6% | |
| 2015 | $108,664,794 | -$1,468,027 | -1.3% | +3.2% | |
| 2016 | $113,912,973 | +$5,248,179 | +4.8% | +8.2% | |
| 2017 | $116,458,710 | +$2,545,737 | +2.2% | +10.6% | |
| 2018 | $122,811,818 | +$6,353,108 | +5.5% | +16.7% | |
| 2019 | $141,168,829 | +$18,357,011 | +14.9% | +34.1% | ⚠ SPIKE |
| 2019 context: Property revaluation completed — assessed values reset after decades, triggering a 96.7% tax levy increase over 2 years. New debt service obligations for capital projects. No corresponding spending cuts to offset. | |||||
| 2020 | $140,041,099 | -$1,127,730 | -0.8% | +33.0% | |
| 2021 | $151,651,936 | +$11,610,837 | +8.3% | +44.1% | △ COVID |
| 2021 context: Post-pandemic recovery spending. Federal ARPA and ESSER funds flowing to municipalities. +$11.6M increase after a flat 2020 budget. Marks the start of 5 consecutive years of above-inflation growth. | |||||
| 2022 | $161,399,594 | +$9,747,658 | +6.4% | +53.3% | |
| 2023 | $174,047,393 | +$12,647,799 | +7.8% | +65.3% | |
| 2024 | $180,442,293 | +$6,394,900 | +3.7% | +71.4% | |
| 2025 | $199,419,590 | +$18,977,297 | +10.5% | +89.4% | ⚠ SPIKE |
| 2025 context: Largest single-year increase in 14-year period. Rising pension obligations (PFRS +60% since 2012), health insurance cost escalation, salary step increases, and post-pandemic operational costs. Transitional Aid ($41.9M) continues from state. | |||||
All budget figures shown in nominal (current-year) dollars — the actual amounts in each adopted budget. The gold dashed line shows what the budget would be if it only kept pace with CPI inflation (BLS CPI-U, NY-NJ metro).
| City | Pop. | $/Resident | $/Student | Math % | ELA % | Grad % | Tax Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union City | 64,462 | $3,021 | $24,016 | 29% | 51% | 90% | ~9.2% |
| North Bergen | 65K | $2,380 | $21,500 | 21% | 55% | 92% | ~6.8% |
| West New York | 54K | $2,520 | $22,800 | 27% | 48% | 88% | ~7.5% |
| Passaic | 72K | $2,310 | $23,200 | 22% | 38% | 84% | ~8.4% |
| Perth Amboy | 55K | $2,450 | $21,900 | 25% | 42% | 86% | ~7.1% |
| Elizabeth | 137K | $2,280 | $21,800 | 25% | 44% | 87% | ~6.5% |
| Paterson | 159K | $1,950 | $22,400 | 20% | 35% | 82% | ~7.8% |
| Newark | 311K | $2,680 | $23,800 | 24% | 40% | 85% | ~8.1% |
"Material Weakness" is the most severe classification an auditor can assign to internal controls. It means there is a reasonable possibility that a material financial misstatement will not be prevented or detected. It is the audit equivalent of saying: the system designed to catch errors or misuse is broken. Union City has received this classification in every available audit from 2019 forward — not once as an anomaly, but as a recurring pattern across six years.
2019: Expenditures exceeded appropriations by $3.2M across multiple line items. The city spent more than it was legally authorized to spend — meaning budget controls failed to prevent overruns before they occurred.
2020: Audit delayed; findings carried forward from 2019.
2021: $6.2M in school tax payments made late. The city failed to transfer millions owed to its own school district on time — creating potential cash flow problems for the BOE that educates 12,688 students.
2022: Missing quotation records for purchases. NJ law requires competitive quotes above certain thresholds. Auditors could not find documentation proving purchases were competitively priced — no paper trail.
2023: Continued internal control deficiencies; corrective action plans from prior years remained unimplemented.
2024: Budget overexpenditures of $2.6M — the same category of finding as 2019, five years later. The controls were never fixed.
Why this matters: A single material weakness is concerning. The same findings recurring year after year means Union City either cannot fix its controls or is choosing not to. Meanwhile, $553M in public money — including $371M+ from state taxpayers — flows annually through a system that auditors have repeatedly flagged as lacking basic financial safeguards. Every other municipality receiving this classification faces pressure to remediate. Union City's pattern suggests no such pressure exists.
Source: NJ DLGS Municipal Annual Audits 2019–2024, Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs.
Brian Stack: Mayor and State Senator since 2008. As Senator, sits on Budget & Appropriations — the body controlling state aid formulas. As Mayor, directs the city receiving $371M+ per year from the state. The person allocating funds is the person spending them.
The municipal budget nearly doubled while population stayed flat at ~64,462. Real per-capita spending grew +47% above inflation — nearly $1,300 more per resident in inflation-adjusted terms. That's ~$50M/year with no public accounting.
Per-pupil spending: $24,016 (+39.6% over 10 years). Math proficiency: 29% — only 11 points up. Cost per proficiency point: $828 vs. $438 NJ average. 89% less efficient. $353.6M spent, 9,008 students can't do grade-level math.
Following the 2019 revaluation, the tax levy surged 96.7%. Landlords absorbed 100% under rent control. No pass-through mechanism. This triggered the displacement pipeline — forced sales to developers who gut-renovate and charge above-market rent.
UC: $25,977/student. Jersey City: $4,310/student. UC educates 12,688 students with $329.6M. JC educates 31,000 with $133.6M. Despite the 6:1 funding advantage, UC's math proficiency remains 17 points below the state average.
Federal prosecutors convicted CDA contractors (2015–2021): Garces (20 months), Lado, Fundora. $400,000+ in HUD funds stolen via rigged bids. Convicted contractors donated $4,600 to Stack's entities. The CDA handles housing funds where 73% are renters.
95% of PILOT payments to municipality, 0% to schools. Developers get 30-year breaks. Existing owners absorb 100% of education tax increases. No post-agreement compliance audits verify whether developers delivered promised jobs and affordable units.
Over $1M in taxpayer-funded settlements across multiple cases: Lieber v. UC ($850K, developer alleged project sabotage, settled 2011), Patel v. Stack ($100K, former federal agent alleged harassment via city resources, settled 2016), $150K to former Planning Board attorney (retaliation). Currently active and proceeding: Martinez v. UC (female officer alleging sexual harassment and retaliation — court denied city's motion to dismiss, Sept 2025), Estrella v. UC (officer alleging discriminatory promotions, seeking injunction), and ongoing federal civil rights claims from property owners alleging due process violations in rent control administration dating to 2019.
NJ Comptroller (July 2022): UC among 57 of 60 municipalities violating the $15,000 statutory cap. A 2025 bill would weaken the very Comptroller's office that flagged these violations — the Comptroller called it a "scam."
100% tax absorption by landlords → no recovery mechanism → buildings become unprofitable → forced sale → developer gut renovation → permanent loss of affordable housing. Rent board ruled partly unconstitutional (Sept 2022). City doesn't track units lost.
Moody's rates Union City Baa3 with Negative outlook — one notch above junk. Gross debt: $77.9M. Net debt: $69.2M. Deferred charges used repeatedly to spread costs, reducing transparency. PFRS pension grew 60%: $4.2M→$6.7M.
$329.6M in state aid funds 79% of education. Local levy: only $15.4M (4%). A 10% state aid cut = ~$33M — more than double the entire local tax levy. No written contingency plan exists. That's not a plan — that's a prayer.
NJ's "fair and open" process allows professional contracts without competitive bidding. Legal, engineering, and accounting services awarded on criteria other than lowest cost. Combined with FBI convictions, $1M+ in lawsuit settlements, and active federal civil rights litigation, the contracting pattern warrants scrutiny.
The budget grew 89.4% since 2012. Inflation grew 42%. Population stayed flat. If spending had kept pace with inflation, the 2025 budget would be ~$149M — not $199.4M. That's ~$50 million per year above inflation. What percentage is pension obligations? What percentage is health insurance? What percentage is salary step increases? And what percentage has no documented justification? If the city can account for every dollar — publish the breakdown. If they can't, the silence tells you the answer.
Union City receives $25,977 per student in state aid. Jersey City receives $4,310. That's a 6:1 ratio — while the senator from Union City sits on the committee that allocates the funds. Despite this massive advantage, math proficiency is 29% (vs. 46% NJ average). What measurable student outcome has improved in proportion to the aid received? If the district can't point to one, the funding formula is a wealth transfer, not an education investment.
Nationally, 40–60% of graduates without proficiency require remedial college courses — courses that cost money, add time, and don't earn credits. 40% of those students drop out entirely. If Union City's graduation standard is meaningful, graduates should arrive at college ready for college-level work. What percentage of Union City graduates require remedial math or English? If the district doesn't track that number, it's issuing diplomas without ever measuring whether they mean anything.
79% of the $353.6M education budget — $329.6 million — comes from state aid. Only $15.4 million (4%) comes from local property taxes. A 10% reduction means ~$33 million the city must find locally. The entire local tax levy is $15.4 million. Does a written contingency plan exist for a 5%, 10%, or 15% reduction? If yes, publish it. If no — the city is operating a $353.6M system on the assumption state funding will never decrease. That is not a plan. That is a prayer.
That's 1 employee per 5.8 students. The response: "That includes bus drivers, custodians, nurses, paraprofessionals." Correct. So break it down: how many are classroom teachers? How many administrators? How many support staff? How has each category grown since 2012, when the budget was $105.3M? If classroom positions grew slower than administrative ones during a period when the budget nearly doubled, that tells you where the money went.
For every active PILOT agreement: how many jobs were promised vs. created? How many affordable units were committed vs. built and still affordable? What was the projected revenue timeline vs. what was actually collected? The NJ Comptroller found cities rarely perform post-agreement compliance audits. Existing property owners absorb 100% of tax increases. Are developers delivering — or collecting 30-year tax breaks on the honor system?
When a rent-controlled building is sold and converted, families are displaced — children change schools mid-year. Research shows students who transfer mid-year lose 3–6 months of academic progress. The district spends $24,016 per student but has no data on how many students transfer due to housing displacement, which schools absorb them, or whether their proficiency drops after transfer. If the district is ignoring one of the largest uncontrolled variables affecting outcomes, the $24,016 investment is being undermined by the city's own housing policy.
MUNICIPAL BUDGETS
Union City Adopted Budgets, Sheet 3 (Explanatory Statement), FY2012–FY2025. Downloaded from ucnj.com and verified against NJ DLGS User-Friendly Budgets. All 14 budget totals are the adopted appropriation figures — not preliminary, amended, or actual expenditures.
EDUCATION FINANCES
Union City BOE Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) FY2024, District Code 5240. Total expenditures ($353.6M), revenue ($389.3M), enrollment (12,688), and spending categories (Instruction, Support Services, Administration) are from the ACFR's Statement of Activities and Supplemental Schedules.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE
NJ DOE School Performance Reports, NJSLA 2023–24. Math proficiency (29%), ELA proficiency (51%), graduation rate (90%), and STEM Academy metrics are district-wide figures published by the state. Per-pupil spending ($24,016) from NCES.
DEMOGRAPHICS & ECONOMICS
U.S. Census Bureau: Decennial Census 2020 (66,455) and ACS 2024 estimate (~64,462). Inflation: BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), New York–Newark–Jersey City metro area, 2012 base year through 2025 (cumulative +42%).
Baseline year: FY2012 ($105,273,480 adopted municipal budget). End year: FY2025 ($199,419,590). All municipal budget figures in the year-over-year table and the budget growth chart are in nominal (current-year) dollars — the actual amounts appearing in each year's adopted budget, with no inflation adjustment applied.
The inflation comparison: The "If Inflation Only" line on the growth chart applies BLS CPI-U cumulative inflation to the 2012 baseline ($105.3M × 1.42 = ~$149M projected for 2025). The gap between the actual budget ($199.4M) and this inflation-adjusted projection (~$149M) represents spending growth that exceeds general price increases — approximately $50M per year.
Why nominal? Adopted budgets are published in nominal dollars. Converting to constant dollars would require choosing a base year and applying metro-specific deflators, which introduces assumptions. Showing nominal figures alongside a CPI overlay lets readers see both the actual budget authority and the inflation benchmark without conflating them.
Seven peer cities were selected based on five criteria: (1) NJ municipality, (2) population 50,000–170,000, (3) majority-minority demographics, (4) Abbott District or former Abbott District designation (high state aid dependency), and (5) comparable urbanization density. The selected peers are:
North Bergen (65K, Hudson County neighbor) · West New York (54K, Hudson County neighbor) · Passaic (72K, Abbott District) · Perth Amboy (55K, Abbott District) · Elizabeth (137K, Abbott District) · Paterson (159K, Abbott District) · Newark (311K, Abbott District, largest NJ city for scale reference).
Peer data sourced from NJ DLGS budgets, NJ DOE NJSLA 2023–24, Census ACS, and NCES. Some peer figures may lag by 1–2 years where the most recent data is not yet published.
HIGH CONFIDENCE Exact figures from official published sources: adopted budgets (Sheet 3), FY2024 ACFR, NJ DOE performance reports, NCES, Census ACS. Includes all municipal budget totals ($105.3M–$199.4M), education expenditures ($353.6M), per-pupil spending ($24,016), NJSLA rates (29% math, 51% ELA), graduation (90%), enrollment (12,688), state aid ($329.6M / 79%), local levy ($15.4M / 4%), population (~64,462). Verifiable by any resident through OPRA or the sources listed.
MODERATE CONFIDENCE Estimates derived from official data: peer city comparisons (most recent available year, may vary 1–2 years), administrative spending share (~5.6% / ~$19.8M per FY2024 ACFR), instructional share (~42%), support services (~33%), CPI inflation (42% cumulative 2012–2025). Figures prefixed with "~" are in this category.
ANALYTICAL ESTIMATES Qualitative assessments informed by data: risk severity ratings (Critical/High/Moderate), cost-per-outcome calculations ($828 per math proficiency point), displacement pipeline characterization. These represent informed analysis, not official determinations. Reasonable people may assess these differently.
This is not an audit, a legal finding, or an accusation of wrongdoing. It is a data-driven analysis built from public records, designed to equip residents with the facts needed to ask informed questions of their elected officials. Every claim is sourced. Every question demands a specific, verifiable answer. Corrections are welcome with supporting documentation.
Union City Adopted Budgets 2012–2025, Sheet 3 (ucnj.com)
NJ DOE School Performance Reports (NJSLA 2023–24)
Union City BOE ACFR FY2024 (District Code 5240)
NJ DLGS Municipal Annual Audits 2009–2024
NJ DCA PILOT Payment Database
NJ ELEC Campaign Finance Filings
NCES Per-Pupil Expenditure Reports
U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023/2024
BLS CPI-U, NY-Newark-JC Metro Area (2012–2025)
NJ Comptroller Reports (July 2022)
FBI Newark / DOJ Press Releases (2015–2021)
Moody's Investors Service Credit Ratings
NJ 2025 Supplemental Debt Statement
Hudson County Superior Court Filings
GovSalaries.com (NJ Public Employee Compensation)
TransparencyNJ (Vendor & Contract Data)