May 6 budget meeting
When City Council members named representatives to the Citizens' Budget Advisory Committee, one was inadvertently left off the resolution, City Clerk AJ Jalloh said Thursday.The missing member is Pamela Razo of 400 East Front Street, known to many as chief of staff in Assemblyman Jerry Green's Plainfield office. According to LinkedIn, she is now the business liaison at the Union County Workforce Investment Board.
Five of the seven council members, the committee and the council's budget consultant interviewed Police Director Carl Riley and Fire Chief Frank Tidwell Wednesday at the first budget meeting. The next one is 7 p.m. May 13 in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.
2015 Citizens' Budget Advisory Committee
Sharon M. Robinson Briggs, 216 Pemberton Avenue (Councilwoman Gloria Taylor)
Delois Dameron. 127 Netherwood Avenue (Councilwoman Bridget Rivers)
Thomas Kaercher, 1115 Prospect Avenue (Councilwoman Rebecca Williams)
Jan Massey, 1410 Evergreen Avenue (Councilman Cory Storch)
Richard Stewart, 1117 Gresham Rd. (Councilwoman Tracey Brown)
William Reid, 1131 St. Marks Pl. (Councilwoman Diane Toliver)
Pamela Razo, 400 East Front Street. (Councilwoman Vera Greaves)
I hope the CBAC will reconsider last years recommendation (and the Councils subsequent adoption) of eliminating funding for the Public Relations Officer. I am not sure whether the Administration's budget this year is requesting funding for the position but it should.
ReplyDeleteWe need someone working for us, the residents of Plainfield, on a daily basis promoting what's good about our City. We have such a bad reputation - whether it's crime, the perception of crime, divided government, bad race relations or just poor quality of life issues. We need to get the word out that Plainfield is on the move.
We need to promote our wonderful neighborhoods, our housing stock, our train stations, our potential for investment and our diversity.
This investment in ourselves is desperately needed - and for a few dollars a year per residence we can't afford NOT to do it.
And all of the rap is true !
DeleteWell said Jim, and I share your sentiment. The citizens of Plainfield could have had a PR person if the council had approved the Mayor's final budget last year which would have added $9.00 PER YER to taxes (on a house valued at $123,000.00).
ReplyDeleteWith the Mayor saving taxpayers $500,000.00 in reduced interest payments by having Plainfield's rating upgraded (among other savings totally around 2 million dollars), there is certainly the hope that the council will take the considerable savings into consideration and see the value in having someone speak on behalf of the citizens of Plainfield (which of course includes themselves).
Jeanette
Interest rates are lower now than they were in 2007 when the now refinanced bonds were issued. True, the bond rating has improved, from 2011, when the A-1 rating was affirmed, but with a negative outlook. Today it is still A-1, but the negative outlook has been removed. The savings have all to do with refinancing at a lower rate and little to do with the improved outlook.
DeleteDon't you think developers are more inclined to invest in this city because of the of the removal of the negative outlook?
DeleteTo 12:22p - My understanding is that even though interest rates are lower now, the reason we can take advantage of them is because our bond rating has improved. If the bond rating today was the same as it was in 2011, we would not be able to take advantage of the lower rates because our rating had a negative outlook. No?
ReplyDeleteJeanette