Things changed in FY 2010, when the city requested $3.5 million but received only $250,000 - with big strings attached. The following year, the administration decided not to seek the funding, which was called "transitional aid" by then and subject to even more caveats and proofs of fiscal responsibility.
At Monday's meeting, Acting City Administrator David Kochel said because the city is changing from a state fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) to a calendar year, no aid could be sought for the six-month "transition year" needed to make the change. And because the change is expected to help rebuild the surplus, the city will not be eligible for the state aid for two calendar years, until 2014.
Kochel noted the strict guidelines that now accompany the state aid and said they are intended to wean cities away from reliance on such aid. Given that the last award to Plainfield was only $250,000, he said, for the city it is "not a large weaning process." As noted on this awards chart, it will be harder for cities such as Camden, which received $69 million in transitional aid for the 2011 state fiscal year.
In Plainfield, the lack of state-imposed controls could be a pitfall for officials used to the free hand they enjoyed before Gov. Chris Christie's new rules. It means through the end of the current mayoral term, self-discipline will be needed in order not to spend money on food and drink for public events and to make other thrifty choices. It came out in the wash Monday that $3,000 was spent for baseball uniforms in April without the proper encumbrance of funds, so now the City Council is faced with having to authorize Recreation Division funds after the fact.
Councilman Adrian Mapp asked Kochel, who came to the acting post only in May, to tell employees they are not supposed to order things from vendors without following procedures. Kochel said he had the same concern six or eight weeks ago and spoke to Purchasing Agent David Spaulding. But he said Spaulding has issued reminders "multiple times" and still compliance is lacking.
--Bernice
Mmmmm....9% unemployment ( higher in Plainfield ) and we have city employees who can't or won't follow the rules.....what to do, what to do???
ReplyDeletePromote them?? Ummm...mmmm...No. Give them a raise?? ummm...no, I don't think so...Oh hey, here's a thought -- FIRE THEM. How's that ?? Sorry...that's from someone outside of the enchanted kingdom of protected employment. Let them spend away...nothing is going to change so lets stop wasting time talking about it.
Fire them! No compliance with the rules should only leave the city to do what it should: Fire employees that don't follow protocol.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Fire Them! If we don't fire them, then have the money they illegally appropriated taken from their salaries. "Off with their heads!" I'll take one of the jobs and follow every city protocal. Unfortunately, these people are following their leader, the mayor, in fiscal irresponsibility. "Off with her head!"
ReplyDeleteIt's unacceptable that employees are told what the rules are, and then they ignore them. Given the hard economic times that are surely ahead of us, maybe it's time to consider revamping the entire purchasing department, from personnel to procedures and policies.
ReplyDeleteYou have got to be kidding!
ReplyDeleteWe have employees running the show, and nothing happens to them. Where do I apply?
Great! A consensus! FIRE THEM is right!
ReplyDeleteIt can almost be guaranteed that these are the same employees who are Plainfield residents and have a multitude of other family members in municipal jobs, given to them by someone in the administration through some back-door-deal-favor.
These are, most likely, the type of employees who inexecusably use 'the children of Plainfield' as a pawn for personal gain and will claim that the government provided social services are not enough, and never will be.
These are the type of employees who will be the first to challenge any hardworking tax-paying Plainfield resident who cares enough to speak out against wrong-doing by the administration or escalating PMUA charges.
They lack any sense of good judgment and moral conscience.
Change in Plainfield is loooooooong overdue, by about 40 years!
The time to clean house is now, starting with the upcoming election. Please let your voice be heard.
If you notice "Keeping It Real"...we've already started having the election cycle supports coming in from at least one member of the New Democrats, Councilor Mapp, who wants to give Jerry another shot...Change??? Not likely.
ReplyDelete@ Rob 5:12 PM - I was very disappointed when I read Councilor Mapp's blogsite where he indicates his support of Jerry Green et al; seems to me to be political in nature, nonetheless, extremely disappointing that Mr. Mapp is supporting the very machine he routinely criticizes and demonizes at Council Meetings.
ReplyDeleteTHIS is why things in Plainfield have remained the same for so long -- because they all feed off each other. Just when you think that there's a crusader coming through, it ends up being just another member of the pack in disguise. They forget about priorities and principal and opt for personal gain -- funny how that happens every election cycle.
This is very sad all around, but, I'm hopeful that things will start to move in the proper direction soon enough.
Firing is right...but it is not Purchasing if they do not get the paperwork to process it is not their fault. Its Recreation and this is not the 1st time that this has happen under the Robinson-Briggs Administration.
ReplyDelete