Doubleheader: PMUA and Council

Ratepayers and taxpayers will be busy Tuesday (Oct. 9) trying to follow the action first at the 6 p.m. PMUA meeting and then at the 8 p.m. regular City Council meeting.

An interesting item on the PMUA agenda is the possible award of a contract to Modus Group LLC for GPS tracking of vehicles. A check online uncovered tracking strategies such as "breadcrumb trails showing vehicle location history" - shades of Hansel and Gretel! Having seen trucks pull up on my block at many odd hours, sometimes two at a time, I think this sort of tracking could be very useful in reviewing and fixing schedules.

PMUA meetings are usually short, so even pedestrians such as myself should be able to get from Roosevelt & Second to 325 Watchung Avenue without missing anything.

The UEZ salary issue that I wrote about from Seattle is not on Tuesday's agenda, nor is a proposed liquor license transfer that had been up for discussion at the Oct. 1 agenda-fixing session.

There are several additions and new items. One is a $1.2 million "Contract 4" for road repairs. It's getting kind of late for road work. According to the city web site, Contracts 2 and 3 are to start soon as well.

As Plaintalker guessed, the Senior Center is to be named for Charles Louis Nelson, who faithfully worked for completion of the new center at 400 East Front Street, Tragically, he died before seeing it open. Naming the center for him is an appropriate tribute.

New items under "Corporation Counsel" include two payments for mayoral legal costs, one of which is nearly double what is stated as the original authorized amount of $10,000. Dr. Yood and Councilwoman Rebecca Williams have already stated their objections to these payments and there may be more commentary Tuesday. One item is for legal representation in the mayor's lawsuit against the City Council and the other is related to the hearings on the WBLS debacle. Growth through unity, eh?

 Besides the $1.2 million road repair contract, there are three other roadway improvement-related items on the agenda totaling $611,740.

Under new items, there is a resolution honoring author Ethel Washington and one for the appointment of Sherri Golden as deputy city clerk.

One item that is probably a story in itself is a resolution recognizing Plainfield Auxiliary Police Captain Robert Gilliom for 30 years of service. Years ago, auxiliary police officers were appointed at every annual reorganization in January. These individuals are all volunteers who help with traffic control at large events and perform other public safety-related duties, though they are not members of the Police Division. More recently, the auxiliary police have had less of a role. But Auxiliary Police Captain Robert Gilliom will receive recognition for his "dedication, leadership and service" over his long tenure.

This is the last meeting before the November general election. Tuesday, Oct. 16 is the last day to register to vote on Nov. 6. The City Council will take an election hiatus and will pick up its schedule with a Nov. 13 agenda-fixing session and a Nov. 19 regular meeting. Don't forget, on Nov. 6 you can vote for school board members this year. The presidential election tops the ticket and the Third Ward and Citywide at-large council seats are up this year. Look for your sample ballot in the mail and study it before going to the polls.

--Bernice