Jersey City Receipts

Public records. Clearly Explained.

Jersey City Receipts publishes information from audits, budgets, and official reports without spin, endorsements, or political messaging.

Everything is sourced. Everything is public.

What this is:

  • A public record explainer, not commentary

  • Built from official audits, budgets, and council materials

  • Focused on systems, controls, and financial mechanics

  • Sources linked so readers can verify everything themselves

  • This site does not endorse candidates, policies, or parties

Latest Receipts

Short explanations of recent Jersey City budget documents, audit findings, and financial updates, posted as they’re released.

Tools

Budget Gap Modeler

An interactive tool that shows the scale of Jersey City’s current budget gap and the tradeoffs required to close it.

This model uses simplified assumptions to illustrate how traditional levers — taxes, fees, service levels, and spending cuts — add up against a $255M gap. It is designed to make the size of the problem tangible, not to predict outcomes or recommend policy.

What it’s for: understanding magnitude and tradeoffs

What it’s not: a forecast, budget plan, or policy proposal

Public Records AI

A factual research assistant that answers questions using only Jersey City’s published audits, budgets, and official financial reports.

The AI does not speculate, analyze intent, or offer opinions. Every answer is grounded in source documents and citations, so readers can verify the information themselves.


What it’s for:
navigating complex public records quickly

What it’s not: commentary, advocacy, or legal advice

About

Jersey City Receipts exists to make public financial records understandable.

The city publishes thousands of pages of audits, budgets, and financial reports each year. These documents are public, but difficult to navigate and easy to misunderstand without context. Jersey City Receipts organizes and explains what those records say without interpretation, opinion, or political messaging.

The site is created and maintained by a Jersey City resident. It is not affiliated with the city, any government agency, or any political organization. It is not operated by elected officials, candidates, or public employees.

Everything on this site is sourced from official public documents. Sources are cited so readers can verify the information themselves.

Jersey City Receipts does not endorse candidates, policies, or parties. Its purpose is transparency: helping residents understand how city finances work, using the city’s own published records.

Sources & Methodology

Sources

All information published on Jersey City Receipts is drawn from official public records, including:

  • Annual financial statements and audits

  • Adopted and proposed municipal budgets

  • Council resolutions, ordinances, and agenda materials

  • Reports prepared by city departments or outside auditors

  • Publicly released financial analyses and presentations

Where possible, primary source documents are linked directly so readers can review the original material themselves.

Jersey City Receipts does not rely on leaks, anonymous sources, or unpublished materials.

Methodology

Jersey City Receipts summarizes and explains what official documents state: no more and no less.

  • Financial figures are taken directly from source documents

  • Terminology reflects the language used in the records

  • Explanations focus on structure, mechanics, and context

  • Estimates or simplifications (when used) are clearly labeled as such

When tools or calculators are provided, they are illustrative models, not forecasts or recommendations. Assumptions are stated plainly, and outputs should not be interpreted as predictions or official estimates.