Councilmen William Reid and Rashid Burney voted “no,” citing disagreements with the two amendments, while Councilmen Adrian Mapp and Cory Storch, Councilwoman Bridget Rivers and Council President Annie McWilliams voted “yes.” Councilwoman Linda Carter, who won a Union County freeholder seat in the November general election, was not present because she resigned from the council earlier on Monday.
One amendment eliminated the Purchasing Division while adding a clerical salary under the chief finance officer to work with an automated purchasing system advocated by Mapp. But Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs suggested that incoming CFO Ron Zilinski might leave if the responsibility for purchasing was added to his duties.
Zilinski was hired in late November after the state Division of Local Government Services ordered the mayor and governing body to come up with a CFO or face daily fines. The statutory office had been vacant in Plainfield since former CFO Peter Sepelya retired at the end of 2007. Zilinski recently retired from a fiscal post in Trenton but has decades of experience and agreed to work 28 hours a week as CFO/City Treasurer in Plainfield.
Both Al Restaino, director of Administration, Finance, Health and Social Services, and Dan Williamson, acting city administrator, said they had spoken with Zilinski and that he had reservations about purchasing being added to his role. But after McWilliams asked whether Zilinski had objected in writing, each answered, “No.” Rivers asked the same question and both said no again.
The other amendment would cut funds from the salary line for the Recreation Division and put the money into seasonal workers. Advocates said the move would enhance programming, but opponents said it would unfairly cut Recreation Superintendent Dave Wynn’s salary to part time. Reid staunchly defended Wynn, with the mayor murmuring assent. After Storch suggested that a Recreation Commission could provide a better level of oversight and improve programming, Reid said, “You’ve been involved in city stuff for a long time and you know in your heart it wouldn’t work.”
Only three people spoke in a hearing on the amendments, one being Dwayne Wilkins, the current chairman of a Recreation Committee reactivated after a standoff between Wynn and volunteers over use of city ball fields. Wilkins praised Wynn’s handling of Recreation Division events, but questioned programming, citing a volleyball program that served only two adults and nine children. He said his committee had marketers and others who had a lot of ideas for programs, but who needed “a baseline of understanding” that has been elusive.
Robinson-Briggs offered examples of towns with populations similar to Plainfield’s, all having fulltime recreation directors. She said she disagreed with having seasonal people run programs.
The mayor eventually asked the council to reconsider not just the two controversial amendments but also several others. However, Bob Swisher of the auditing firm Supplee, Clooney said changes now would mean starting over with the whole process of advertising amendments, holding a hearing and voting final budget passage.
Neither of the proposed divisional changes would take place until April, due to the need to give notice to the personnel involved. Overall, the budget savings with all the amendments would only be about $12,000. Finally McWilliams, who had sought budget passage before the end of 2010, called for the vote, asking, “Are your concerns valid enough to hold up the vote?”
The 4-2 affirmative vote delivered one of the earliest conclusions to the budget process in many years, just six months into the fiscal year that began July 1. The SFY 2010 budget did not pass until February. Typically, passage in the third quarter of the fiscal year has left little leeway for savings. Several council members have called for starting the SFY 2012 budget process very early, with a three-year projection of savings, as state rules will put tighter reins on future spending. A 2 percent cap will be imposed on municipal budget increases for the next fiscal year.
--Bernice Paglia
From what I hear we cut recreation but gave an additoinal $150,000 for a library that was already functioning.
ReplyDeleteNow what will the children of Plainfield do?
Anon,
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Here's a clue....how about the "children of Plainfield" use the library.
From Jim Spear:
ReplyDeleteBefore ya'all beat up on my friend Rashid for his vote, read his blog.
Then think about his vote; he knew the budget would pass with a 4 vote majority,
right?
jim spear