Budget Introduction Anticipated Within Month

Lack of a chief finance officer contributed to delays that caused a special meeting for budget introduction to fall through Monday.

The City Council had requested budget introduction no later than Sept. 1, but City Administrator Bibi Taylor cited difficulties in closing out last year's budget that caused problems for auditors in preparing the annual financial statement, a prerequisite to introducing the new budget for FY2011. She said budget introduction is now expected "within the month." A Civil Service layoff plan tied to the budget was also put off.

The city has had no permanent CFO since Peter Sepelya retired at the end of 2007. Taylor said without the statutory position filled, problems arose in Audit & Control with "items backlogged." Of two candidates for the CFO post, Council President Annie McWilliams said one "made statements that were concerning" and another was asked for work references but none were offered.

The council had sent a resolution to the state Division of Local Government Services in July asking to have a CFO assigned to the city, but Councilman Cory Storch said it was unclear whether the resolution was received. In a new outreach, Deputy Director Marc Pfeiffer promised a response within seven to 10 days, Storch said.

Taylor said Monday the administration has a new candidate that is now being vetted and held out hopes of a conclusion within the next month. Alternatively, under a "request for qualifications" process, the city may be able to engage a firm to carry out CFO duties, she said.

Meanwhile, council members had a number of questions about emergency temporary appropriations for November. Most of the amounts for salaries and wages and other expenses reflected a year-to-date cost of about 35 percent of what was appropriated last year, but some categories were much higher, including a couple that were 100 percent expended. Taylor explained factors that caused the overages.

In other discussions related to finances, council members agreed not to go forward with a final vote on a proposed $1 million bond ordinance to fund a gunshot detection system. As reported on blogs and in newspapers, the administration withdrew its support for the plan due to fiscal constraints and will now seek grant funding.

Councilman Adrian Mapp, chairman of the council's Administration & Finance Committee, said members met with Tax Assessor Tracy Bennett to discuss bringing nonprofit groups back to the tax rolls and will look at the status of the shuttered Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center.

The governing body also sought assurances that no city funds were expended in the use of City Hall grounds for Sunday's Guinness World Record event. Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson said all the costs, including pay for special duty police officers and Public Works employees as well as funding for portable toilets and various permits, were paid by the H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E group that hosted the event.

The council is still investigating another event, an Aug. 1 Town Meeting featuring The Rev. Al Sharpton and hosted by WBLS. The radio station received $20,000 in city funds for commercials and a live broadcast.

Another discussion centered on a couple of ordinances meant to bring about greater fiscal accountability. Promoted by McWilliams over the objections of the administration, the ordinances were passed by the council but vetoed by Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs. Council votes to override the vetoes fell short, and McWilliams asked each council member Monday to explain his or her stance on her Fiscal Accountability, Integrity and Responsibility (FAIR) plan. The nearly hour-long discussion was too long to be summed up here, but it included a new proposal from Councilman Rashid Burney on fiscal oversight. More is sure to follow on the blogs posted by McWilliams, Burney, Storch and Mapp. Click here to see a roster that includes these blogs and mostly all the hyperlocal Plainfield blogs (hit the refresh button if an error message appears).

The five-hour meeting Monday had many other facets that local bloggers will no doubt be hashing over for the next week or so. More later from Plaintalker!

--Bernice