The Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority held a rate hearing Tuesday, followed by the annual reorganization where the board, including new Commissioners Henry Robinson and Michelle Graham-Lyons, chose Commissioner Charles Tyndale as chairman for 2015.
At the rate hearing, the board approved a 3 percent decrease in sewer rates and an increase in sewer connection fees from $2,130 per unit to $2,300. Before the vote, Tyndale asked whether the connection fee increase could be put off for a year for the benefit of developers, but others said the increase was not a lot and the fee was comparatively low.
At the reorganization meeting, other new officers named for 2015 were Graham-Lyons as vice chair, Robinson as secretary and Carol Ann Brokaw as treasurer. Alternate Commissioner Charles Eke took part in the meeting by telephone, though his vote was not needed with the full board present.
Five professional contracts, for general and labor counsel and consultants for sanitary sewer engineering, solid waste engineering and financial services, were put off until next month to allow new commissioners to review them.
The board approved two settlements, one for $20,000 in security for former office space at 203 Park Avenue and another for $200,000 to settle former chief financial officer James Perry's lawsuit over severance pay.
Among other things, the board and administration discussed having joint meetings with the City Council as well as plans for a study to evaluate rates.
Rate relief was on the minds of commissioners, staff and speakers in public comment. Both Mayor Adrian O. Mapp and Councilman Cory Storch spoke of the need for reductions to rate payers. Storch suggested having written questions at the proposed joint meetings "so nobody's blind-sided." He said he was very happy about the sewer rate reduction, as ratepayers, especially seniors, "carry a very heavy burden.".
Mapp said further relief could be achieved "by having Plainfield as a customer instead of 15,000 households." He said quarterly bills could be sent out with property tax bills, though he said the state would have to be involved to make his suggestion a reality.
--Bernice
If the PMUA board members were all white Dunn or Mitch would have Sharpton and the NAACP marching on the steps of City Hall! Why don't we have a Spanish or White board member on the PMUA? Are they all Democrats and controlled by Green?
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY! I was wondering the same thing. But then I thought I would be classified as a RACIST! White people are not allowed that margin
DeleteMy impression is that a majority of the commissioners now are not "controlled by Green."
DeleteI would hope that the first thing the PMUA Commissioners would do would be to replace the (in my opinion) ineffective counsel that has continued to misconstrue the ILA for years. A new law firm is in order.
ReplyDeleteRebecca
And Rebecca,don't omit Ms. London's continuous irrational defense of the illegal payment of about $40,000/year for Commissioners Mitchell's and Brokaws's extensive health benefits plans.
DeletePMUA apparently agreed to pay Mr. Perry his severance precedent to trial. This suggests the settlement occurred either because the PMUA recognized that their defense was flawed and/or the court induced the settlement by indicating to the parties that the court looked favorably on Mr. Perry's claim. Probably the only executive that brought sufficient prior experience to his position at the PMUA at the outset was Mr. Perry. His background in finance qualified him for the position of CFO. All the others were in a learning mode. Mr. Perry guided the organization through a maze of complex issues; the sale of $23,000,000 in bonds, banking relations, budgets, payroll accounts, multiple types of insurances, engaged consultants, etc. His reward for his 18 years of apparently flawless service was to be denied his severance. pay apparently in the amount of $200,000. Why? The "Why" loams large when you consider that the Watson- Ervin award of $1,000,000 was entirely without contractual merit? Are we entitled to think that because Mr. Perry is white there a prejudice component in the mix? How much did the PMUA waste of legal fees in a futile defense of what now appears to be a meritorious suite?
ReplyDeleteThis said, I do not agree that members of any organization should be based on their ethnicity, race or gender. I think that positions should be filled by the best qualified candidates. If the best people are Black then they should have the positions and vice versa. However, when someone like Mr. Cromwell who has meritorious qualifications is rejected for the position of PMUA Commissioner several times, and then rejected for a chair at PARSA. on the ostensible theory that because he was critical of the PMUA, again one is given reason for pause. Insisting that someone who is critical of an organization is unworthy of the nomination is tantamount to saying we should have only one party political system. . Criticism and debate are fundamental to a democracy, and fundamental to improvements. Bill Kruse