Audio from the January 18th 2012 Meeting of the Middletown Library Board

by guest blogger Linda Baum

My March 19th post on this blog evoked a flurry of comments about the statements made by some library employees who attended the February 15th Library Board meeting. For the record, I don’t think anything inappropriate was said. Many who spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting expressed concern about the intentions of the newly-refigured Board, and some were critical of the new Township appointees’ behavior at the January 18th Board meeting. I talked about the tone of that meeting in my January 24th post on this blog, but have been late in getting you the audio recording.

Below is a 35-minute audio clip from the nearly 5-hour January 18th meeting. It is a recording of the Board’s discussion about service contracts and purchase resolutions. Two issues were central to the discussion. One issue concerned the normal January purchase of library materials and the exemption of these types of materials from purchasing laws. The other issue was whether or not an attorney should review these purchase resolutions and be present at Board meetings.

In large part, you will hear Library Director Susan O’Neal explaining the rules that govern library materials purchases and responding to new trustee Michael Convery’s questions.

If you don’t have 35 minutes, then skip to the last 5 minutes of the audio recording to hear the comments – by Lawrence Nelsen in particular – that resulted in public criticism of the new Board members.

(Unfortunately, there is no video-recording for the January meeting that would make it much easier to identify who is speaking. The first Library Board meeting to be video-recorded was the February 15th meeting.)

Some Answers To My iPad Questions Received, Some Remain

I have finally received some answers to my inquiries concerning Middletown's purchase of iPads for members of the township governing body and I have Mr. Robert Superti to thank! I haven't been able to get down to Town Hall myself these past few weeks due to my work and home schedule in order to ask these questions myself, so I appreciate that Mr. Superti was concerned about this issue and  took the initiative to ask them himself.

Mr. Superti attended the February 21st Township Committee meeting and asked members of the governing body the initial 9 questions that I had sent to the  Assistant Township Adminmistrator James VanNest via email back on February 7th and received no reply to.

It is obvious from the responses that Mr. Superti received that the Township Clerk Heidi Brunt, mayor Tony Fiore and Township Attorney Brian Nelson and a comment made by Gerry Scharfenberger at the end, that they had all reviewed my questions and had answers ready to those questions as well as a couple of questions that Mr. Superti didn't ask, such as, did former committee member Pam Brightbill receive an iPad and return it after she step down from the Committee? The answer was yes.

And I would suppose that Scharfenberger's heads-up to Fiore to address the cost analysis  between the iPad vs paper study was a refernce to my asking in a follow-up email to have the study sent to me via email to review (which, by the way was never sent).

Here are my questions that Mr. Superti asked with the responses that he recieved in red. You can also listen to the audio of Mr. Superti asking these questions and listen to hear how they were answered by playing the recording below:

How many iPads have been purchased by the township and who specifically has been issued them? 6 iPads were purchased by the Township.

What was the purchase price of these iPads? Each iPad cost $625.

Was the purchase price for these iPads discounted in anyway, if so by how much? Yes, but no one knew by how much.

Who were these iPads purchased from; Did they come directly from Apple Inc. or an authorized Apple vendor (please name)? The iPads were purchased via a government contract through Computer Direct Warehouse (www.cdw.com).

 Are these iPads considered township property ? Yes, they are.

Can they to be used by individuals for personal use (take and store photos, download music or games, ect...)? Yes, they can.

What happens to these iPads if Township Committee members step down from office or not relected or if a town manager leaves the employment of the township? They are Township property and are to be returned. It was stated that Pam Brightbill returned the iPad issued to her.

Did the Township purchase any kind of internet access plan over and above the purchase price of the iPads that would enable idividuals to access the internet if WiFi access is not availible to the users? Yes, the Township purchased an internet access plan but did not know how much it costs each month.

Is Town Hall wired for Wi-Fi? If so, does the public have access to the Wi-Fi network at Town Hall if they bring their own laptops, iPads or other type of smart device to a meeting at Town Hall? Yes, Town Hall is wired for Wi-Fi but the public does not have access to it becuase Town Hall is a government building and they are afraid that the public may get access to sensitive government information. 

Again, I want to thank Mr. Superti for asking these questions, it is unfortunate however that he had to ask them, it would have been very simple just to respond to my intial inquiry. Instead those that run the township decided be defensive and remain silent until someone asked them directly about the purchase of these iPads. It makes it seem as if those  that make up Middletown's governing body are paranoid and have something to hide.

After all, they are the ones that issued the press release touting the purchase of these iPads as money savers. They had to have known that people would question the purchase of these things when there are cheaper alternative available that would  serve the same purpose.

After listening to the above audio, I do have a few follow-up question that I would like to ask for the purpose of clearifying a few answers given to the questions. I hope to be able to make it down to Town Hall one day this week to do that.

It's Your Town - Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 2-1/17/12

Here is another edition of the It's Your Town newsletter, it covers the January 17th, 2012 Middletown Township Committee meeting. As readers of the blog know from listening to audio clips posted last week, this meeting was very eventful.

A a late notice stating that the Township will not open the Swim & Tennis Club this year was posted to the Township's website on Friday 13th, heading into the long Martin Luther King 3-day holiday weekend and apparently, from the sentiment of the members present at the meeting, they weren't informed previously of the dire financial situation of the Swim Club, over two dozen people voiced their concerns to the Township Committee.

There were a few Swim Club members who questioned the expenses incurred by the Township on behalf of the Middletown Arts Center (MAC) in relation to those incurred to operate the Swim Club. They were told by Mayor Fiore and Township Attorney Brian Nelson, that the MAC was on the way towards profitability and that the utility expenses were down dramatically to only $30 to $40K per year! Attached to the newsletter are the actual figures for the past five years so you can determine for yourself what is accurate.

Regardless, when the Club closes, all Middletown residents will be responsible for repaying the original bond used to purchase the Club instead of the member fees stated in the Pool Club ordinance.

Read this edition of the newsletter ....Here

And if you would like to listen to the companion audio clips from the meeting, I have them below

Committee comments #1

Committee comments #2

What about the kids?

Tom Wilkens comments



As always, if you wish to subscribe to the newsletter and receive in your inbox send a request to itsourtown@yahoo.com

More Audio From Tuesday Night's Township Committee Meeting; Swim Club Members Want Answers

Here is some more audio from Tuesday night's public comments portion of the Middletown Township Committee meeting where members of the Middletown Swim and Tennis Club spoke in front of the Township Committee and wanted answers as to why they were never informed by the Township that the Club was losing money and that it will be closed this year.

Notice once again Township Attorney Brian Nelson answering questions for the Township Committee at ~6:30 into the clip and again towards the end of this 13 minute sound bite. Why does the Township Attorney need to answer financial questions about the Swim Club and not the Township Administrator, Township CFO or the elected officials that sit on the dais? Listen towards the end where he repeatedly states "we...,we..., we...". It's infuriating.

New Robo Call From Concerned Citizens Of Middletown Received Over The Weekend

A new robo call was issued over the weekend by the group calling themselves Concerned Citizens of Middletown. I received the call Friday when I check my messages on the answering machine.

This latest call talks about whether or not you fell stressed because you can't make ends meet and have to live within a budget, something that the Middletown Township Committee has a hard time doing. The Township is currently $73 million in debt according to the message and will have to borrow more money to pay for tax appeals.

Listen to it and please comment, I am interested in seeing what readers think of this latest call that went out to residents. If you have a hard time hearing the audio (I tapped it off the answering machine), I transcribed the message below.



Hello, I am a middletown resident, stressed like you, and needing to cut my budget.

Have you heard the Township Committee cannot live within its budget?

They raise taxes, then borrow more money to cover poor planning.

Our debt level, currently at 73 million will have at least an additional 6 million to cover the tax appeals from the last re-evaluation.

Can your budget survive this kind of borrowing? Mine can't.

Paid for by Concerned Citizens of Middletown.

"SoundBites" From Middletown's Recent Township Committee Meeting

This past Monday night's Middletown Township Committee meeting once again did not disappoint those that were in attendance when it came time for comments by Committee members.

I walked into the meeting late and didn't have the opportunity to witness or hear for myself the introduction of Resolution 10-210, which calls for supporting property tax relief through State assumption of per pupil educational costs that our mayor, Gerry Scharfenberger has been touting recently by suggesting that a "percentage" increase to the State's sales tax would be the key to lowering property taxes in Middletown.

(Scharfenberger introduces tax resolution)

Many feel that this resolution is nothing more than an attempt by Sharfenberger and those in the majority, to play a political "shell game" that would divert Middletown resident's attention away from the proposed 14% increase in the municipal tax rate that is called for in the as yet adopted 2010 Township budget.

After the resolution was passed by a 3-1 vote (Committeeman Sean Byrnes being the lone decenter and Committeeman Steve Massell not present to vote), it was time for committee comments.

In the audio that can be heard below Byrnes explains why he voted against the mayor's resolution. He stated that it was designed to take the focus off of the Township's proposed budget that includes a 14% tax increase and clearly shows the lack of planning on the Township's part on budget issues and finance. After his comments many of those in attendance shows their appreciation for Byrnes's level-headed and sensible explanation as to why this resolution would do nothing to alleviate taxes in Middletown and why it was nothing more that a distraction a way from the Township's budget.

(Byrnes's Comments)

Deputy(dog)-mayor Tony Fiore took offense to much of what Byrnes had to say, stating that terms like consolidation, planning and committees were nothing more that "soundbites" and that indeed the Committee(those in the majority) had a plan to control costs through the use of lay-offs and the reduction of insurance costs once employee contracts were up at the end of the year.

(Fiore's Comments)

After the Committee comments portion of the meeting was finished and the floor was open to members of the public a handful of those in attendance who had just received their tax bills came up to the podium to question the Committee about the large increases that they saw in them. These people were assured that by the 4th quarter of the billing cycle all would be well and not assume that based on the 3rd quarter bills have any bearing on what their new yearly tax bills were going to be.

A few weren't feeling very assured and questioned the mayor and deputy-mayor about what their plan actually was because they had been hearing most of the night that a plan was in place to control costs and limit tax increases, but when pushed and prodded they had no answers.

Dustin Racioppi of Redbankgreen.com has an account of what went down Monday night. When reading his column make sure to read the ending comments left by readers, they are fascinating and real eye-openers.

Residents are not as foolish as Scharfenberger and Fiore think they are. They know when they are being made out to be fools and are intelligent enough to tell the difference between being deceived and told the truth.

Half Truths and Sugar Coating Doesn't Change The Fact Middletown Has a $5M Budget Deficit And Strong Leadership Is Needed

Dustin Racioppi's column "M’TOWN LOOKS TO TRENTON FOR BUDGET HELP " that appeared on the rebbankgreen.com website yesterday made a lasting impression on a few people, not for what it contained but for what it didn't.

Gerry Scharfenberger makes for a good interview but unfortunately much of what qualifies as quotes from him are often lacking in truth or honesty. He seems to make stuff up as he goes along just so that he can tell people what he thinks they want to hear. Telling people not to worry because Govonor Christie will come to our rescue and bail out Middeltown from it's $5 million budget deficit we face is just one recent and classic example of that.

Gerry just refuses to "see" that Middeltown's finances are in crisis and that a large tax increase seems to be the only way out of the mess that he and his fellow republicans have made, unless of course he gets serious and sits down to discuss long term solutions to the problems that affect Middletown's budget. The governor's "toolbox" may help but it is not the solution.

Below a reader sent me a copy of Dustin Racioppi's column with comments attached. This person's comments appear in blue and they do a good job at countering much of what Scharfenberger told Racioppi. I included audio clips that I had laying around for added emphasis on a few points.

Remember Gerry, there are always two sides to a story. You can't ignore the one side while sugar coating the other without people taking notice and pointing it out:

A CFO has been hired. The school budget is back in the hands of the board of ed. What else could possibly snarl Middletown officials from introducing a budget for 2010?

CFO Trasente said that a budget could be ready for May presentation. He said this at the April 5 workshop meeting. Listen to the recording.



A quorum.

At least, that’s one reason Wednesday night’s scheduled introduction of the 2010 budget was delayed.

The unveiling of the budget, which runs on a calendar year, was first put off because the town had been without a chief financial officer for several months to help guide the township committee. Then the committee had to focus its fiscal efforts — including a very public jousting between the mayor and teachers’ union — on trimming the failed education budget.

Then, just when a spending plan was to be introduced, it appeared that not enough committee members could make Wednesday night’s special meeting.

It’s OK, though, says Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger. He and the four-member committee are waiting on some pending bills in Trenton that, if they pass, will allow for more reductions in spending. And there’s a temporary budget in place, he said.

This reads like the Mayor is not part of the Committee. This is furthest from the truth. In fact, Middletown has a 5 member Township Committee. One of the Committee members is selected to be Mayor so that meetings can be conducted in an orderly fashion.

“Fiscally we’re on very solid footing,” he said. “It’s not as bad as it seems.”

Being $5M in the hole at the beginning of the fiscal year is never that bad. I think the Mayor meant that having his foot in a $5M hole is a very solid fact.

Of course, he’s speaking in temporary budget terms. The short- and long-term budget picture is, naturally, ugly. State aid and municipal revenues are down, costs are up and the township was hit with a spate of retirements — including some this week — that will cost it beaucoup bucks that officials simply didn’t budget for, Scharfenberger said.

If it was not for the Christie administration changing the retirement rules there would not have been these retirements.

But that’s where the waiting game could pay off for Middletown, he said.

Pension and health benefits reform proposed by Governor Chris Christie, if approved, would not only limit the amount retirees are paid, but also spread the municipality’s payout over 10 years.

Scharfenberger pointed to Hackensack, which recently had to bond for millions in order to pay for a 33-employee exodus. Middletown, by the way, has seen 39 employees retire since Christie announced the changes, exposing it to huge costs.

It is always easy for Gerry to point fingers. He always forgets that there are 3 fingers pointing right back at him when he does this. People in Middletown do not care what Hackensack are doing. They want to know what Middletown is doing. They want to know why Middletown does not have a budget going into the 6th month of the year.

“That just goes to show, it’s not just Middletown,” Scharfenberger said. “This year, so many people retired because of the changes in the state. There was no way to see this coming.”

This just goes to show if it was not for the Christie administration changing the retirement rules there would not have been these retirements. How can you not see this coming? He must have been blind and on another planet with Christie if they did not see this coming.

Scharfenberger also said Christie has proposed changes that allow places like Middletown to opt out of civil service agreements, which would make sharing services more feasible. Middletown is bound by the rules of the Civil Service Commission, which requires tests and screening, making it harder to find outside municipalities that have as-qualified employees to share.

If the change goes through, “That would be a ripple effect on the town,” Scharfenberger said.

This is a big If. What IF they don’t go through? Do we bond for millions like Hackensack?

Middletown officials are also negotiating with health insurance companies to save money and have applied for financial relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for recent flooding, as opposed to paying out of pocket.

How is FEMA going to bail us out? FEMA relief has nothing to do with the Township budget. This statement should not be in this article discussing the Township budget. FEMA relief is for the businesses and homeowners, not the Township.

The Township is self insured and has spent millions already this year in claims and premiums.
Scharfenberger is “cautiously optimistic” that some or all of these measures will come through before the town’s budget is presented to the public.

The Mayor should be helping in putting a budget together instead of looking for others to bail him out. Is this the osmosis part?

“Rather than introduce it and go back and change it,” Scharfenberger said, “we want to be able to cut as much as we can before we introduce it.”

Nothing is being cut because nobody has stepped up to provide the “toolbox” to do the cutting. Right now the toolbox is empty and the ship is sinking.

Scharfenberger said the committee will shoot for late next week or early the following week to bring the budget forward.

He is waiting until after the primary so that he has a better opportunity to be on the ballot in November. There will not be much of a change between now and next week, as far as something coming through to help. The Township Committee should be working on NEXT YEARS BUDGET, not the one that started this past January.