Budget Introduction Will Launch Process

As Dan and Dr. Yood have already commented, the online packet for tonight's City Council meeting was lacking many details. If there was a hard copy with fuller information, it was not available in advance to bloggers as the Plainfield Public Library was closed Saturday for the Easter holiday. The online packet did, however, contain the state-mandated  2015 budget document, albeit incorrectly captioned as being up for adoption when it is only up for introduction on April 13.

I do not know the exact means by which the hard copy is converted to an online packet, but it does appear to involve an outside service. The April 6 agenda from the City Clerk's office does correctly list introduction of the 2015 budget as an item to be considered tonight, and that is the first step in the somewhat arduous budget process.

Once submitted by the administration and accepted by the governing body, the introduced budget can then be modified and amended before final passage. The governing body can name members to the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, set a schedule for budget deliberations, hire a budget consultant and eventually pass amendments before a public hearing and final passage of the 2015 budget. There is a proposed resolution to name members to the 2015 advisory committee, and appointment of a City Council budget consultant is a discussion item. Last year's process was quite adversarial, with a council majority, the consultant and the advisory committee all coming down hard on Mayor Adrian O. Mapp's first budget. See the 2014 CBAC report here.

A quick look at proposed appropriations turned up a few items that may need further explanation, if I got these figures right. For example, there is a 35 percent increase in the salary & wages line for the mayor's office ($199,050 for 2015 compared to 147,480 for last year), a 121 percent increase in salary & wages for the Office of Community Relations & Social Services ($200,435 compared to $90,478), a 64 percent increase in salary & wages for the the office of director of Administration, Finance, Health & Social Services ($250,630 compared to $152,440) and a 165 percent increase for the Youth Guidance Council, from $2,000 to $35,000.

Here is the budget message (click to enlarge):

If anything, 2015 may be an even harder year for the administration to gain support for its goals, as there is a political battle looming between the Green and Mapp factions over control of the local Democratic party. Green controls a council majority and can attempt to punish the mayor again by thwarting his initiatives through the budget process. The lack of collegiality between the branches makes it difficult for developers and investors to know how to proceed in Plainfield, and in the contest among municipalities along the Raritan Valley Line for transit-oriented development, the city stands to lose unless the internal strife simmers down.

--Bernice