Council to Investigate WBLS Bills

An Aug. 1 "Call to Action" Town Meeting at Washington Community School was simulcast over radio stations WBLS and WLIB, but it was not exactly a community service.

Plaintalker's Open Public Records Act request turned up a $20,000 charge by WBLS for the show and numerous related commercials. The funds were drawn from a city Information Technology account for "hardware and software maintenance," according to a document obtained through the OPRA request.

On Tuesday, Councilman Rashid Burney suggested that the governing body needed to look into the matter "in great detail."

"There's some stuff going on here," he said.

Burney called for a special council meeting "to gather the facts" of how the cost was incurred and who had the "fiduciary responsibility" for it.

The investigation is not to look at the judgment of spending money, he said.

"What I'm talking about is essentially the legality of it."

In recent months, the council has been pressing for greater fiscal accountability and stewardship of resources, including limits on discretionary spending. The city has also faced state-imposed limits on spending for non-essential items.

The council agreed to vote Monday on a resolution to hold a hearing on the WBLS expenditure.

Councilman Adrian Mapp also asked to add two other payments to WBLS, each $2,500 for items related to the July 4th celebration. Those costs were incurred through the Recreation Division. One payment came from a general improvement ordinance and the other from "outside consulting services."

Later in the meeting, Councilman Cory Storch questioned a $20,000 year-to-date "other expense" total in the Information Technology budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.

"Is any of that money spent on other than IT, like WBLS?" he asked City Administrator Bibi Taylor, who replied that IT and Media were "one line item."

Storch asked whether that meant there would be $20,000 less to spend on IT and also asked whether any part of the Recreation Division's $30,000 year-to-date expenditure was related to WBLS. Taylor said she was "not aware" of any such thing.

The "Call to Action" meeting was held after a rash of shootings that began in May. Part of it was to gain support for a $1 million ShotSpotter gunshot detection system, which the administration had showcased days before meeting. Panelists included community activists, mayors, school board members and legislators. Mayors Robert Bowser of East Orange and Wayne Smith of Irvington both spoke in favor of the system at the the Aug. 1 meeting.

The event was preceded by much ballyhoo over the expected attendance of the Rev. Al Sharpton, who only made a brief appearance well into the three-hour show. Curiosity over possible fees connected with the event prompted several OPRA requests. Plaintalker filed one on Aug. 2 for documentation of all costs, including school rental, speakers’ honoraria or fees, security, setup including WBLS requirements, cost of videographing (the city's new videographer receives $100 per hour), food and supplies, plus any other incidentals.

But the first thing that Plaintalker received was proof of the $20,000 WBLS bill for the show. The City Clerk's office referred Plaintalker to the school district for the school rental costs and is still gathering documentation of the other items.

Also on Tuesday the council discussed the mayor's veto of two ordinances aimed at improving fiscal transparency and accountability. Both were part of Council President Annie McWilliams' "Fiscal Accountability, Integrity and Responsibility" package of legislation. Click here to read her explanation. The council agreed to put both vetoed ordinances up for votes on Monday. Five of the seven members - a super-majority - must vote "yes" in order to override the vetoes.

Monday's meeting is 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.

--Bernice Paglia