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Debate arises over car
(by Erin Patricia Griffiths - June 17, 2008)
A disagreement arose among the borough council concerning the use of code compliance funding to pay for the costs of a code official’s commute to her part-time position in the borough.
The debate broke out at the borough meeting when Harold Karns, borough administrator, requested approval for a police vehicle to be acquired to replace the present vehicle being used for detectives.
The vehicle presently used has 150,000 miles on it and requires at least $2,000 in repairs to pass inspection. The mechanic working on the vehicle has also informed the borough that additional repairs needed on the car would cost as much as $4,000.
Karns proposed that the best solution would be for the police department to acquire the borough code compliance vehicle, a Dodge Durango, and for the borough to purchase a new fuel-efficient car with code compliance funding to provide the code official with transportation.
Councilman Jonathan DeJoseph raised concern, as a member of the finance committee, regarding the issue of mileage and gas use on the code compliance automobile. Last year, the gas cost for fueling the Durango was $3,800 and is presently on track to costing $6,000 for the present year.
The vehicle provides transportation for the code compliance official to travel to different sites related to the position, in addition to being used for commuting back and forth to the office located in the municipal building, where the official works part-time several days a week. The mileage used for this commute is approximately 100 miles per day.
The commitment to providing the official with transportation for commuting began five to six years ago when the salary for the position was cut by almost 50 percent. The official had been working full time through a shared agreement with five other towns. When the official become a part time employee for Hillsdale and the salary was cut, the borough agreed to provide a car for the commute. These expenses are provided by the code compliance funds.
DeJoseph questioned the necessity for taxpayer funding to cover the costs of an employee to travel from home to work, but Council President Donna Schiavone argued that the code department’s budget is a self-sufficient fund that is not contributed to by taxpayer money.
“That is a total fallacy,” stated Councilman Max Arnowitz. He continued, explaining that because the code compliance office does not contribute rent to the borough for use of office space in the municipal building, it does not help to offset the cost of taxes for residents.
Karns disagreed with this point, however, saying that the department pays for its fair share of expenses, even if it isn’t listed as “rent” in the borough budget. “In my opinion, the department is self-sustaining, plus every year we do something that benefits the entire office areas on their budget.”
The council agreed that the need for the detective vehicle and the matter of code compliance funding their employee’s commute are separate issues. The vote granting approval to pursue purchasing a vehicle with code compliance funding for $14,000 to $16,000 was passed by a vote of 4 to 2 with DeJoseph and Arnowitz dissenting.
Further discussion on the issue of financing the commute of the code compliance official will be evaluated in a committee meeting setting.
Erin Patricia Griffiths' e-mail address is GriffithsE@northjersey.com.
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