Plainfield Budget Amendments

This past Tuesday, the City Council approved budget amendments.  This is the Council's opportunity to make the annual city budget, introduced by the Mayor and her administration, its own.  That is the process at all levels of government- the executive branch submits a budget and the legislative branch modifies and approves it.  Some would call it teamwork, others the balance of power between the branches. Some in attendance at last Wednesdays Council meeting might call it a mess. 

It was all the above.  But mostly it worked. 

Every year I look forward to the budget amendment meeting, albeit with some anxiety.  For all the hours Council members put in throughout the year, our power and influence is not as great as most observers think.  Except for budget amendments.  This is when we get to say what are priorities and where the Mayor and administration must spend the city's resources. These amendments have a real impact on the rest of the year.

The Council was wise to employ David Kochel as our budget consultant.  He is a retired city administrator who previously served (8 months) in the Robinson-Briggs administration as interim City Administrator. He crunched the numbers and recommended various increases and decreases to the Mayors budget.  There were a few bumps in the road as we voted on each and every recommendation but ultimately all were approved. 

Some amendments were initiated by Council members.  One amendment, championed in part by me, added $75,000 to the Council budget to bring experts in municipal government operations as part of the transition to a new Mayor and administration.  Plainfield residents want change at city hall.  They deserve a city government that uses best practices to serve the people at the lowest possible tax rate.  We all know that some of city hall's operations are in need of overhaul.  Recreation, code inspections and communications are prominent on most people's lists.

I want the new administration to hit the ground running.  We have lost 8 years to lack of vision and inaction.  It's time to make things better for our residents.  It's time to give our city employees the tools they need to succeed and grow as municipal government professionals.  The $75,000 increase will enable us to use in expertise this year to plan improvements beginning in 2014.

The budget amendments went through the Council Finance Committee, which is Adrian Mapp, Bill Reid and me.  I thank the other Council members for their support of the amendments, especially Tracey Brown, who introduced an amendment at the Council meeting to increase summer youth employment opportunities.  A good move that was supported by all.  The sum total of the amendments did not add one penny to property taxes.  It was a good night for the residents of Plainfield.

Final budget approval will be this Monday at 8 pm in the municipal court chambers.

Primary Voting is Important

Plainfield's next Mayor will be selected by the voters this Tuesday.  Plainfield newcomers:  the overwhelming percentage of registered Democrats compared to Republicans has led to a Democrat  as our Mayor ever since Paul O'Keefe held the seat in the late 1970's.  The only times since that Democrats have crossed over to non Democratic mayoral candidates in significant numbers were the Donald Harris campaign (he lost to Harold Mitchell) and Al McWilliams, who came amazingly close to beating Sharon Robinson Briggs in 2005 as a write -in candidate. And Al was a Democrat who was forced off the party line.

This time around we can all assume a Democrat will win the mayoral seat.  The race will be determined Tuesday, June 4 between Adrian Mapp and Sharon Robinson-Briggs.  Registered Democrats:  you will have a major say in the future of our city on election day.  The contrast between Adrian and Sharon could not be greater.One has a track record of successfully representing all Plainfielders and the other only gives the impression of representing all of Plainfield.  With all my heart, I hope Plainfield is victorious.  Go Adrian!!

Budget Hearings

The City Council is moving towards budget adoption.  Budget hearings are in process.  Council members and the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee are hearing department heads and their key people present their budget requests for the new year.  The new year started January 2013.  Why budgets are adopted after the year begins is another story.  Suffice to say that it is considered good form in municipal government to adopt a budget 3 months into the year. Plainfield has been adopting 5-6 months, sometimes longer into the year and this year it looks like 6 months.

A recent hearing included the Municipal Court judge, the Tax Assessor, Tax Collecter and Treasurer.   Fiscal audit findings were discussed.  The administration claims to have fixed most of the findings and is working on the rest.  Since we have had repeat findings throughout the Robinson Briggs administration, I will wait to hear from our independent auditor.

The Tax Collector was the most interesting for me. The previous Tax Collecter left numerous problems and a backlog of work.  I assume that is why when I asked when the city was going to dispose of foreclosed properties that have reverted to Plainfield, I did not get an answer. Just we'll get back to you. The new person sounds capable and is working through them.  Let's hope for quick action on this.

Budget hearings continue Tuesday (Senior services, Plainfield Action Services, Women Infant and Childrens program (WIC), Health services) and Wednesday (taxes).  Hearings start and 7 pm and go to 9 pm.  I believe the location is t he Senior Center on East Front St but check the city website to make sure.

Attention Adrian Mapp Supporters – The Plainfield Primary Election Has Too Much at Stake to Take For Granted

We have suffered 7.5 years under Mayor Robinson Briggs. Her inability to collaborate with other elected officials at local, county and state levels has brought city government to gridlock. Although she has a talent for kissing and hugging her constituents, it only applies to some of her constituents. Many others are completely ignored. Talented city managers refuse to come to Plainfield. The few effective ones who have taken work with her administration have left quickly when they realized the ingredients for success do not exist under Mayor Robinson Briggs.

People who are tuned in to Plainfield government, even those who initially supported Robinson Briggs, know that she cannot under any circumstances be allowed to succeed in the June 4 primary. With her poor track record and run of embarrassing incidents, why would anyone vote for her? The danger is that there are voters who have busy lives who are not tuned in to what is happening to Plainfield. And they see that the Mayor has a talent for kissing and hugging. They may take that to mean she cares about all of Plainfield. They may not know how bad things are at city hall. There are people who will vote for her.

This blog post is expressly for Adrian Mapp supporters. Do not take this election for granted. We know how effective Adrian will be and how disastrous it would be if the Mayor is re-elected. Even if you think Robinson Briggs has only a slim chance, the risk in this election is too great. Get out the vote. Every vote counts. Strange things do happen on election day and we've had all we can take of strange.

New Bond Ordinance - good policy or bad politics?

The Council will be voting on two bond ordinances in May totaling $8 million. The second was introduced this month, the first in April.  Last month I questioned why the first bond ordinance did not include new road paving projects. Administrative officials responded that we have enough road projects funded from our previous ordinances.  End of discussion, I thought.

That is, until the May agenda setting meeting when suddenly we were looking at an additional $5 million in capital improvements including $4 million for roads.  Clearly this was pulled together very quickly. Anytime the public is asked to pay for $5 million for projects, all by property taxes and not from grants, deliberation is required.  I hope the administration is up to the task of explaining and justifying this bond ordinance.  I hope this is not an end of term spending spree by Mayor Robinson Briggs.  She has not hesitated to spend the public's money on self serving things in the past - like the group of police that followed her around at the public's expense for her first two years in office.

Plainfield would not be unique in having an outgoing Mayor, Governor or President burden his/her successor with deferred or future expenses but that does not make it a good practice.  I hope my colleagues will evaluate this bond ordinance carefully.  Speaking for myself, I will not prejudge it.  I fear that one of my Council colleagues already judged me against the paving of West Third St.  Actually, I didn't know it was on the project list as individual roads usually are when a bond ordinance is presented to City Council. 

A good outcome would be to prioritize roads such as West Third and take out enough projects so the total dollar value of the two ordinances comes to $5 million.  The most fiscally astute of Mayor Robinson Briggs many City Administrators, Bibi Taylor, put an upper limit on new debt that came to between $4 and $5 million annually.  It is ironic that she now works as the chief fiscal person for Union County after being made to feel unwelcome by Mayor Sharon.

Some of the projects listed on the new ordinance are ones that, with reasonable time and effort, could be partially or fully grant funded.  That will take a Mayor and administration that are on their game, and a Mayor who cares that the homeowners are struggling with our property tax burden already.

How to Organize City Hall

During the Charter Commission meetings, the question has repeatedly come up of how to organize the work at city hall. More specifically, how many and what departments of city government are needed in Plainfield? 

The current arrangement is not based on current needs but on arrangements of the past, sometimes as a Mayoral workaround when the City Council has been uncooperative and sometimes to create or preserve someones job. Bernice Paglia, our best historian of local government, has made this point effectively. 

I remember when the City Council refused to give consent to Mayor Al McWilliams' senior management nominations.  He juggled a few job titles and positions in an attempt to create a semblance of the the management team he wanted.  That refusal to grant him his team appalled me and was what helped me resolve my ambivalence about running for City Council.

The most recent reorganization at city hall was the elimination of the police chief position and creation of police director.  These initiatives were done without need of charter revision. 

The City Charter should set general parameters for the organization of departments but not be prescriptive.  Conditions change.  We are entering a phase of local government where shared services, consolidation of local government entities and outsourcing of non core services will become more common.  We might not want a lot of departments.  We might want to shift which divisions and offices report to which departments. 

The result of the June Mayoral primary will tell us something about direction.  Our current Mayor has not been responsive to suggestions for shared services and outsourcing.  A new administration may be different. Regardless of who wins this time around, the long term view is that the face of municipal government will change.

Here are some ideas for Plainfield:

• outsource Plainfield Action Services to Union County Department of Human Services, the United Way and the Urban League, one or a combination of these organizations,
• outsource the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) to the Neighborhood Health Services Corporation (aka Plainfield Health Center) or another healthcare provider,
• doing the above would make the Department of Administration and Finance more manageable and its department head would not need such an unrealistically diverse skill set (which is impossible to find),
• implement Martin Hellwigs idea for civilian Police and Fire Directors reporting to the City Administrator

Any changes will affect city employees and must be done with careful planning and respect for their job security.  Disruption can be minimized by timing changes with retirements, requiring new service providers to have Plainfield offices and setting outsourcing requirements to protect the jobs of current employees.

When we outsourced Dudley House, people in city hall (some suspect the Mayor) spread misinformation that brought concerned advocates to City Council meetings.  However, the deed was done and accommodations were made for some employees.  Most importantly, the people needing Dudley House services now receive better services from a highly regarded, state licensed substance abuse treatment agency, Sunrise House.  They have been more effective than city hall in generating revenues and not just depending on Plainfield taxpayers. Dudley House is a lesson for us about what we can do in the future.

Mayors and City Councils need some flexibility to reorganize government operations to meet the needs of the people.  The Charter should provide just enough structure, checks and balances so there is no free for all silliness with every new Mayor and administration.  But not so much that there is no room to change.

The City Charter

I recently joined the ranks of many former and present city officials who have testified before the City Charter Commission.  I shared the commissions meeting agenda with Councilwoman Rebecca Williams and Public Safety Director/Police Director Martin Hellwig.  I found their comments both interesting and educational.  I share Bernice Paglia's view that Martin's suggestion for civilian Police and Fire Directors reporting to the City Administrator was the highlight of the meeting.

Before summarizing my suggestions, I want to give credit to the Charter Commission members.  They take this job seriously.  They are Rick Smiley, John Stewart, Mary Burgwinkle, Marie Davis and Jeanette Criscione.  I don't know if their excellent work will lead to improvements in the city charter.  That's up to elected officials. What they will be giving us is a detailed and insightful recording of the recommendations of people who know Plainfield government from the inside over the last 30 years.  When they are finished their work, I look forward to reading the commission's report which will include their recommendations, distilled from the testimony of their many interviewees. 

In general I find Plainfield's charter adequate and non-controversial.  There is some room for improvement in my opinion:

1. The City Council can investigate alleged wrongdoing and impose fines up to $200.  That's too low to be a deterrent so I recommend fines up to $1000.  Wrongdoing in city hall is a very serious concern.
2. Compensation of elected officials for expenses -I have seen this abused at League of Municipality conventions and out of state conferences.  Approval for expenses by the full City Council by resolution should be required.
3. The City Clerk must be appointed by the City Council.  The charter only requires that the "Clerk of the Council" be appointed by the City Council.  According to previous Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson, these are separate positions and his opinion negates the balance of power needed for effective checks and balances between the Council and Mayor.
4. The Corporation Counsel is supposed to serve the Mayor and Counsel. It does not put one branch of government above the other.  When there are differences between the two branches, the Corporation Counsel should be a legal resource to both.  That was not the case with Mr Williamson who saw his role as primarily serving the Mayor.  In my opinion, the previous Corporation Counsel, Ms Drakeford, had a more balanced approach to serving these two branches of government. To effect a more balanced approach, the charter should give the City Council power to reinstate the Corporation Counsel if he/she is fired by the Mayor, just like reinstatement of the City Administrator or department heads is a power given to the City Council.
5. Annual budget submission deadlines are mentioned in the charter but municipal budgets are chronically late, often approved around 6 months into the year!  The charter should specify consequences to the Mayor for late introduction and to Council members for late approval.  Something like paying double property taxes (just kidding).
6. Recall of elected officials should be a difficult task but not so difficult that citizens are discouraged from trying.  The percentage of signatures on recall petitions is set too high.  It should be lowered to a level that will make elected officials think twice before flagrantly disregarding the law and/or the public.
7. The charter should mandate training for newly elected Mayors and Council members.  Such training must be completed within the first year of office or that seat is forfeited.  Knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of elected office is that important and most of us come to the job partially prepared at best.

I underlined two recommendations that deserve special attention.  The 7.5 year relationship between Mayor Robinson Briggs and City Council has brought balance of power forward as a major concern.  All branches of government tend to want their power maximized but this relationship is an outlier, for reasons related to personality.  Neither a charter, nor ordinances or resolutions, can fix this problem. But an adequate balance of power can minimize its negative consequences.  Educated elected officials - who know the responsibilities and limitations of their roles - will be more effective than Plainfield's municipal government has been these last 7.5 years.  Another preventative medicine would be for the Council to budget for and appoint a staff person to research and support Council legislative initiatives and to get answers to questions independent of Mayoral and administrative responses.