HOBOKEN - Hoboken University Medical Center, along with the $52 million bond guaranteed by the city, may soon be out of the hands of the city government.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Hoboken Municipal Authority Chairwoman Toni Tomarazzo announced that a stakeholders group of residents, doctors, physicians, and other interested parties will soon be formed to review a number of proposals submitted by outside parties for the hospital.

Zimmer said she wants Hoboken to continue to have a hospital with acute care but also wants to do away with the city’s $52 million bond that underwrites the hospital’s operations.

Throughout the summer, proposals have come into the city for a potential purchase. The deadline for proposal submissions was Sept. 13. The next step will be the review of proposals by a stakeholders group.

According to a city release, Hoboken residents and HUMC employees are encouraged to apply to participate on the Stakeholder Committee by emailing a short cover letter and biography to hmha@hobokenumc.com no later than October 16th or apply by mail to: Hoboken Municipal Hospital Authority, Attn: George W. Crimmins, Executive Director 308 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 07030.

The first two meetings of the stakeholders group will take place on Oct. 18, and Oct. 23.

“The long-term sustainability of the hospital is best achieved by moving forward with the plan to privatize the hospital -- ending the city's ownership and transitioning governance to a new non-governmental entity,” Zimmer said in a release.

Read our full story about the hospital in this weekend’s Hoboken Reporter. - Ray Smith