Video of Feb. 19, 2013 Middletown Township Committee Meeting
A couple of unscheduled presentations were made at the beginning of the meeting. Besides presenting Sgt. Colangelo with the employee of the month for December, the Lions Club presented the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund with a check for $2,000 and the Pt. Monmouth Fire Co. presented the Township Committee with t-shirts that they are selling to raise funds for their company.
A resident commented why there was no detailed information available regarding chargebacks the Township imposed on the Library for past years. The Township has said the Library was not paying their fair share for employee benefits in past years as justification in adding an additional $380K to the Library bill for this year.
Another resident asked when construction would begin on the Bray Ave. bridge and how that construction would affect the residents living by the bridge. The Administrator said that design plans have not been submitted by the County and did not know when work would begin.
Someone else from the audience inquired about the reasoning behind contracting Ashbritt Environmental to clean up storm debris instead of finding local companies to do the work for less cost. The Township said Ashbritt had the means and manpower to do the work immediately.
Gordon York
1:47 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
I thought that there was a virus, and that the disc wouldn't play. How much do we pay the Middletown MIS officer?
Linda Baum
1:15 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
I was told the video played on some Twp computers but not others. So then it appears the issue is not that there was a virus, but that some of the computers did not have the necessary software.
Linda Baum
1:15 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
During public comments at the 2/19/13 Twp Committee meeting, an attendee asked about the AshBritt contract, a $9 million tab for Middletown taxpayers that is receiving increasing scrutiny in the press. See time 33:50 on the video. Mayor Scharfenberger defends the no-bid contract, saying a fast decision was needed due to emergent conditions. However, many other towns were faced with the same devastation and still managed to get a much better deal for their residents. AshBritt charged double what other contractors were asking.
The Asbury Park Press had a front page article yesterday (2/28/13) on the politics behind the AshBritt contract, $100 million statewide. Our mayor is prominently featured: https://www.app.com/interactive/article/20130228/NJNEWS/130228003/Graphic-AshBritt-Cleanup-Network
Middletown’s administration has close connections to the governor. Dr. Scharfenberger received a gubernatorial appointment in 2010 to head the state Office of Planning and Advocacy. And not long after that our Township Attorney was appointed by the governor to the state Economic Development Authority.
Linda Baum
1:15 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
Today’s Asbury Park Press editorial (3/1/13) tells us that legislative hearings are starting next week to get some answers to questions surrounding the AshBritt award. https://www.app.com/article/20130301/NJOPINION01/303010010/Shine-more-light-no-bid-contract
Middletown’s administration has said that 75% reimbursement is expected from the federal government for clean-up costs. It has always seemed to me the intent was partly to justify paying too much, to soothe us into thinking it wouldn’t cost us. But even if we get the full 75%, residents are still stuck paying 25% of the excessive tab. And what happens if an investigation results in a reduced recovery? Then we get stuck paying even more.