Jersey City
Jersey City certified 163,395.83 of City summer staff pay as Youth Prevention, counted one year of kiosk payments twice, and told the State it has spent and committed 696,043.69 more than it has ever received.
Published 10/03/2026
TLDR
- The City told the State it spent 163,395.83 on Youth Prevention in FY2025. The books show 163,395.83 of City summer staff pay journaled onto the fund. Youth Prevention spending was City summer staff pay.
- Its four reports certify 1,187,051.85 spent. The FY2026 report adds 800,497.01 committed. That is 696,043.69 more than the 1,291,505.17 it says it ever received. Reported 696,043.69 more spent and committed than received.
- The FY2024 report certifies 13,718.00 of kiosk spending. Nothing was paid that year. The FY2026 report counts the same payments again in FY2025. Counted the same 13,718.00 of kiosk payments in two years.
- Each of the last three reports claims more money on hand than could be left. FY2026, 60,839.91 too much. FY2025, 206,554.88 too much. FY2024, 129,952.85 too much.
- An order described as "Opioid Treatment" paid a gaming hub 2,747.70. Opioid Treatment order paid a gaming hub 2,747.70.
- The City paid 382,280.75 in summer youth grants from the fund, then journaled all of it off on 12/10/2025. The production does not show where it went.
- In June 2026 it opened 26 grant orders for 810,000.00, most titled 2026 Opioid Youth Grant.
- No grant agreement or scope of work for any recipient is in the produced records.
Summary
Jersey City, Hudson County, reports receiving 1,291,505.17 in opioid settlement money from 2022 through 06/30/2026. The national settlements list uses for the money, among them treatment, recovery, connection to care, prevention and harm reduction. The list is not exhaustive. Other documented, evidence-based programs that address the epidemic also qualify. The money must supplement local spending, not replace it.
The City produced audit trails for its settlement accounts printed on 06/23/2026, and budget detail reports from its earlier accounting system for 2023 to 2025. The City moved to its current system on 01/01/2025.
From 04/17/2024 to 06/23/2026 the settlement accounts paid 841,900.10 net. Of that, 213,752.00 went to four treatment and recovery providers and a harm reduction kiosk. No agreement, invoice or scope of work for any of them was produced, so this project classes the spending as unverified. The rest went to community organizations and businesses under grant awards, mini grants, sponsorships and youth grants, and to City salaries journaled onto the fund. No grant agreement, scope or opioid program for those recipients is in the records. Another 810,000.00 sat in open orders. Read the City's findings.
What the City told the State
| Report | Received in the year | Spent | Committed, not spent | On hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 424,752.00 | 23,200.00 | Not asked | Not asked |
| FY2024 | 220,794.00 | 190,526.00 | 30,268.00 | 561,772.85 |
| FY2025 | 334,923.36 | 604,825.83 | 365,474.00 | 368,472.41 |
| FY2026 | 311,035.81 | 368,500.02 | 800,497.01 | 165,293.23 |
The FY2023 figure is the total received through 06/30/2023. That report lists all 23,200.00 spent as administrative expense. It names two programs. One is "B. Support People in Treatment & Recovery," 200,000.00 for an RFP to local organizations working in treatment and recovery. The other is "Youth Prevention," 100,000.00 to the Department of Recreation and Youth Development for fall programming.
The FY2024 report adds a harm reduction kiosk in Ward F, funded at 43,950.00, with 13,718.00 spent. It says 164,140.00 went to youth nonprofits "who applied for programming & prevention dollars." It certifies 561,772.85 on hand. Receipts less two years of certified spending leave 431,820.00. Reported 129,952.85 more on hand than it could have left.
The FY2025 report funds no new program. It certifies 163,395.83 for Youth Prevention and 441,430.00 for the treatment and recovery program. It certifies 368,472.41 on hand. Receipts less the three years of certified spending leave 161,917.53. Reported 206,554.88 more on hand than it could have left.
The FY2026 report certifies 11,528.00 for the kiosk, 56,997.70 for Youth Prevention and 299,974.32 for the treatment and recovery program. Its notes restate FY2025 as 41,959.00 for the kiosk, 163,395.83 for Youth Prevention and 374,687.25 for the treatment program. That is 580,042.08. The FY2025 report itself certified 604,825.83.
The reports do not add up
| Record | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certified spent, FY2023 | 23,200.00 |
| Certified spent, FY2024 | 190,526.00 |
| Certified spent, FY2025 | 604,825.83 |
| Certified spent, FY2026 | 368,500.02 |
| Certified spent, four years | 1,187,051.85 |
| Certified committed, FY2026 | 800,497.01 |
| Spent and committed | 1,987,548.86 |
| Certified received since 2022 | 1,291,505.17 |
| Excess over receipts | 696,043.69 |
Receipts less certified spending leave 104,453.32. The FY2026 report certifies 165,293.23 on hand. Reported 696,043.69 more spent and committed than received.
Where the money went
| Account | Paid net, 01/01/2025 to 06/23/2026 | Open on 06/23/2026 |
|---|---|---|
| G-02-22-219, treatment and recovery grants and a sponsorship | 152,275.75 | 6,358.03 |
| G-02-23-308, kiosk lease | 21,816.00 | 0.00 |
| G-02-23-319, a sponsorship | 5,500.00 | 0.00 |
| G-02-24-408, mini grants | 221,898.57 | 40,001.39 |
| G-02-25-817, Walmart Payment 3 | 2,747.70 | 0.00 |
| G-02-40-513, summer youth grants | 0.00 | 428,717.22 |
| G-02-40-576, summer youth grants | 0.00 | 334,923.36 |
| Total | 404,238.02 | 810,000.00 |
The treatment and recovery program is five 40,000.00 grant awards dated 05/28/2024. Four went to Khaleidoscope Health Care, Prevention Links, Spectrum Health Care and Post Acute Recovery. The fifth went to the Jersey City P.O.B.A. Civic association. No treatment or recovery service by that association is documented. The same account paid a 5,000.00 sponsorship to The Northern NJ Community in February 2026.
The kiosk is a lease with Longview International on an order of 04/26/2024. No lease or service agreement was produced. The first payment cleared on 07/10/2024, after FY2024 closed, yet the FY2024 report certifies 13,718.00 spent. Counted the same 13,718.00 of kiosk payments in two years. Two Longview payments make the FY2026 kiosk figure, 11,528.00, to the cent. The kiosk figure ties to two payments.
Account G-02-24-408 paid mini grants. Most of its purchase orders are for 40,000.00. Recipients include SW3AT Sauna LLC, TMI Consulting LLC, Sharon Ambis LLC, Sav'n Blocks LLC, Art House Productions, the Jersey City Parks Coalition and several churches. On 02/06/2025 a 150,000.00 credit journal labeled RECLASS posted to the account. The records do not show what it reversed.
On 04/22/2026 account G-02-25-817, named Walmart Payment 3, paid Gotta Go Gaming Hub Inc 2,747.70 by check 605444. The order is described as "Opioid Treatment." The same business received two summer youth grants in 2025. The charge sits on a salaries and wages line in the underage drinking enforcement department. No treatment service by the business is documented. Opioid Treatment order paid a gaming hub 2,747.70.
Before 2025
The budget detail reports from the earlier system show 437,662.08 paid net from 04/17/2024 to 03/26/2025.
| Account | What it paid | Paid net |
|---|---|---|
| 02-213-40-319-314 | 19 grant awards, 04/17/2024 to 05/13/2024 | 94,500.00 |
| 02-213-40-308-314 | nine mini grant payments and the kiosk lease | 74,674.00 |
| 02-213-40-219-314 | treatment and recovery grant awards | 45,324.25 |
| 02-213-40-408-314 | InJoy Global, Inc. and the Sneaker Room Foundation | 35,500.00 |
| 02-213-40-319-101 | two salary journals of 04/24/2024 | 24,268.00 |
| 02-213-40-413-117 | summer seasonal salary journals | 55,569.98 |
| 02-213-40-464-117 | summer seasonal salary journals | 107,825.85 |
| Total | 437,662.08 |
The 19 grant awards went to youth nonprofits, among them dance companies, a theater, a parks coalition and a university. The FY2024 report says 164,140.00 went to youth nonprofits that applied for programming and prevention dollars.
Six journals moved summer seasonal salaries onto two settlement accounts between 10/24/2024 and 03/26/2025. They total 163,395.83. The FY2025 report certifies the same amount for Youth Prevention, a program the City described to the State as grants to youth agencies. No payroll register or job description for these salaries is in the records. Youth Prevention spending was City summer staff pay.
The FY2024 report certifies 12,668.00 of administrative expense, described as staff admin. A 12,668.00 salary journal of 04/24/2024 posted to account 02-213-40-319-101. An 11,600.00 salary journal posted with it.
InJoy Global, Inc. was paid 30,000.00 on an order described as EMPLOYEE. The check was voided and replaced by a wire on 09/19/2024. No contract or scope of work for the payment is in the records.
Books against reports
| Report | Certified spent | Books, 07/01 to 06/30 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 23,200.00 | 0.00 | 23,200.00 |
| FY2024 | 190,526.00 | 146,308.00 | 44,218.00 |
| FY2025 | 604,825.83 | 345,842.08 | 258,983.75 |
| FY2026 | 368,500.02 | 349,750.02 | 18,750.00 |
| Total | 1,187,051.85 | 841,900.10 | 345,151.75 |
Books are counted by check date. The 2023 detail reports for the grant and salary accounts were not produced, so the FY2023 and FY2024 books are incomplete. FY2025 is net of the 150,000.00 RECLASS credit of 02/06/2025, and FY2026 is net of the two reclass summer youth journals. The FY2024 kiosk figure, 13,718.00, equals Longview International's 10,908.00 of 07/01/2024 plus one 2,810.00 lease payment, both after that year closed.
The summer youth grants
From 08/21/2025 to 11/07/2025 accounts G-02-40-513 and G-02-40-576 paid 54 grants. The recipients include dance companies, little leagues, a Chinese school, a 4-H board, a sound company, a theater and churches.
| Account | Paid, 08/21/2025 to 11/07/2025 | Reclass journal, 12/10/2025 |
|---|---|---|
| G-02-40-513 | 97,170.00 | -97,170.00 |
| G-02-40-576 | 285,110.75 | -285,110.75 |
| Total | 382,280.75 | -382,280.75 |
Both journals are labeled "reclass summer youth." Each returns its account to its full balance. The accounts that received the charges are not in the production.
On 06/09/2026 and 06/15/2026 the City opened 26 new orders on its settlement accounts for 810,000.00. Most are titled 2026 Opioid Youth Grant. They include Kismet of Kings at 46,500.00, Liberty Science Center at 45,500.00, the Boys and Girls Club at 45,500.00, Nimbus Dance Works at 43,500.00, the Police Activity League at 45,000.00 and STEM Kids NYC at 45,000.00. The orders drew accounts G-02-22-219, G-02-40-513 and G-02-40-576 to 0.00.
FY2026
The FY2026 report covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. It certifies 368,500.02 spent. The kiosk figure in the report counts payments by check date. Counted the same way, the settlement accounts paid 349,750.02 net in the year. The records do not explain the 18,750.00 difference.
The report certifies 800,497.01 committed and not yet spent. The 26 June orders total 810,000.00, 9,502.99 more.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.