Update: TOMSA Complies With OPRA Request... Sort Of

I have an update to yesterdays post concerning the Township Of Middletown Sewage Authority's stonewalling of Carolyn Schwebel's OPRA request.

I received an email from Mrs. Schwebel stating that she received documents, via fax, of some of the documents that she had requested:

"The figures are large. I had asked for the TOMSA Commissioners' pension, etc., but it's not clear if they gave me that or the whole amount that includes TOMSA employees as well.

There is an arrogant resolution that at a meeting February 12, 2009, Tom Stokes made a motion that was passed unanimously that "each member of TOMSA" receive salary of $1750 except the chairperson who will get $2150 a year starting February 1, 2009! (Can they back date that way?

Lots of nerve in these times, when people are questioning TOMSA's salary and the twp. committee has terminated its own."

Carolyn Schwebel then sent a follow-up email that stated that she contacted TOMSA Director Patrick Parkinson for clarification:

"I have one question, as I'm not clear on terminology. I had asked for the TOMSA Commissioners' pension ,insurance etc. Are the figures you sent for just the TOMSA commissioners, (Stokes, , Rogers, Raisch, Hinckley, Buow, Smith, Wrede) ) or do they also include payment for regular TOMSA employees as well.?"

Parkinson responded by writing,  "The pension payments are a total for all TOMSA employees."

Come on Pat, this is totally unacceptable and a bad job on your part. 

You stonewall and provide false information to Mrs. Schwebel, in an attempt to discourage her request for information and them when you do provide the information, it is not the specific information that Mrs. Schwebel requested. 

Mrs. Schwebel sent me a copy of her OPRA request form and the documents that you supplied. She specifically stated that she was interested in just commissioners and alternate commissioners compensation. Not the two documents that you supplied her with that shows the total monthly cost of health benefits and pension for all that work for TOMSA. 

I am currently looking into the above statement of Mrs. Schwebel's that mentions the raise in the yearly stipend that the TOMSA commissioner's voted for themselves. This information was included with her OPRA request. When I track down further information on this, I'll pass it along.