2016 Financial Disclosure Statements are Past Due

April 30th was the deadline for submission of 2016 Financial Disclosure Statements.  Filing  a Financial Disclosure Statement is a statutory requirement in accordance with the Local Government Ethics Law - N.J.S.A 40A:9-22 et seq.

The law N.J.S.A. 40A: 9-22.3(g) stipulates that any person whether compensated or not, whether part-time or full-time: (1) elected to any office of a local government agency; (2) serving on a local government agency which has the authority to enact ordinances, approve development applications or grant zoning variances; and (3) who is a member of an independent municipal, county or regional authority must file an annual Financial Disclosure Statement. 

As of this date several members of the Little Falls' Planning Board, the Rent Leveling Board, the Library Board and the Ethics Board have not filed their 2016 Financial Disclosure Statements.

The purpose of the financial disclosure requirement is to provide transparency regarding the financial dealings of board members and to ensure the public of their integrity with respect to possible conflicts of interest.

Individuals who do not file their annual Financial Disclosure Statement risk being found in violation of the Local Government Ethics Law, specifically N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.6, which can result in disciplinary action and fines of $100-$500.

Summer time and the living is easy

It's summer time and according to Ira Gershwin's lyrics "the living is easy." 

 

This phrase aptly applies to municipal business here in Little Falls.

 

For when it comes to maximizing citizen engagement and transparency  "the living is easy."

 

For instance:

 

a) the Council, which usually meets twice a month, only meets once a month during June, July, August and September;    

 

b) the Council's video recordings - as of this date - have not been posted on the town's web site since the May 9. 2016 meeting.  In other words, the public does not have access to video recordings for the Council meetings of May 23, June 13, July 11, and August 8;  and

 

c) the public does not have access to transcripts of these meetings since they too - as of this date - have not been approved for posting on the town's web site.

 

So it's summer time and the Township fails, in accordance with the Open Public Records Act, to make Council minutes available to the public; and it is not in compliance with The Governor's Best Practices guidelines which recommend that each municipality maintain an up-to-date municipal web site containing Governing Body's Minutes and Agendas.

Clearly, when it's summer time and the living is easy, our Township is on holiday!

 

Lack of Transparency in Little Falls

Our Township continues to skirt the law and government Best Practices when it comes to transparency.

 

Specifically, our Township has not adhered to the recommendations and principles of:

 

1) The Open Public Records Act (OPRA) which requires that municipalities keep reasonably comprehensible minutes of all its meetings and that these minutes are promptly made available to the public; and

 

2) The Governor's Best Practices which recommend that each municipality maintain an up-to-date municipal web site containing Governing Body's Minutes and Agendas.

 

In what appears to be an attempt to obscure the fact that it has taken over a year to approve and post Council meeting minutes, there has been a change in how the information is posted on the town web site.

 

In the past, when approved Council meeting minutes were posted on the town's web site one column indicated the date of the council meeting and the second column indicated the actual date that the approved minutes were posted.

 

This method of posting was recently changed to obscure the delays in the approval process.

 

For example, the Council at its January 25, 2016 meeting approved the minutes from the regular meetings of September 22, 2014 and November 23, 2015, as well as the workshop meeting of October 6, 2014; and at its July 11, 2016 meeting the Council approved the minutes from the regular meetings of October 20, 2014, November 24, 2014 and December 29, 2014; as well as the minutes from the workshop meetings of November 10, 2014, December 8, 2014 and January 12, 2015.

 

Here is how the minutes are now being posted on the towns' web site:

 

 

Title	Date
Minutes from November 23, 2015 Regular Meeting	11/23/2015
Minutes from November 9, 2015 Workshop Meeting	11/9/2015
Minutes from January 12, 2015 Workshop Meeting	1/12/2015
Minutes from December 29, 2014 Regular Meeting	12/19/2014
Minutes from December 8, 2014 Workshop Meeting	12/8/2014
Minutes from November 24, 2014 Regular Meeting	11/24/2014
Minutes from November 10, 2014 Workshop Meeting	11/10/2014
Minutes from October 20, 2014 Regular Meeting	10/20/2014
Minutes from October 6, 2014 Workshop Meeting	10/6/2014
Minutes from September 22, 2014 Regular Meeting	9/22/2014
Minutes from September 8, 2014 Regular Meeting	9/8/2014

 

The dates in both columns are identical, thus concealing the year plus delay between the Council meeting and the approval date of each set of minutes.

 

This failure to comply the OPRA and Best Practices recommendations is not in the best interest of open government and transparency.

It is a disservice to Little Falls residents as it hampers our ability to know what is happening within Township government in a timely manner.

Proposed Passaic County Technical Institute Expansion and Its Impact on Little Falls

At its June 9th meeting the Passaic Valley High School (PVHS) school board adopted a resolution in opposition to the Passaic County Board of Freeholders' proposal to bond $30 million for the expansion of the Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI).

According to the resolution, the proposed expansion would increase enrollment at PCTI by approximately 800, to 1,200 students, which would place an undue financial burden on all sending Passaic County school districts as well as every property owner throughout Passaic County.

Furthermore, the resolution noted that the proposed PCTI expansion would take additional funds from the Passaic Valley Regional High School and reduce the educational programs of the district either through the reduction of staff and/or programs, while enhancing the programs at PCTI.

Similar resolutions have been passed in other Passaic County school districts including Bloomingdale,  Clifton, Hawthorne and Wanaque. 

Our elected officials must not remain silent on this issue since the proposed PCTI expansion could have an adverse effect on the quality of the PVHS educational programs and on the amount of property taxes paid by Little Falls homeowners.

Therefore it is imperative that our elected officials discuss this matter at the next town council meeting and consider adopting a resolution similar to the one passed by the PVHS school board, in opposition to the proposed $30 million expansion of PCTI.