Comments on: Another Local Government Issue

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:03:03 +0000

Just because they are needed doesn’t mean that the tax payers should keep coughing up higher taxes to pay for them.

You should go back and re-read the last comment – the generalizations I make are about the industries where I know people and I said that I wouldn’t make an assumption about this guy because it would be improper. (Besides the fact that this is a personal blog and I’m allowed to make generalizations! Not everything has to be the debate of the Century! 🙂 )

What I DO know is how LITTLE work many of these municipal contractors do throughout the year. I’ve worked with lawyers that do almost nothing as municipal attorneys and rake in tens of thousands of dollars for their firm. I know many municipal auditors who spend only a portion of 4 or 5 days per year going over a township’s books. I know public relations firms that sign contracts with townships for $50,000 per year and their “product” is a 4-page, quarterly newsletter (shipping and printing costs paid by the town). I put out a quarterly newsletter and it costs me about $1,200 to do it for the year!

It’s a disgrace.

By: Metroplexual

Metroplexual — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:27:33 +0000

You make many generalizations here. Sure these guys usually have multiple municipal contracts, but remember these guys tend to be low bidders. So I would saay that is the cost of doing business.

BTW, how do you know how much work he does? I don’t exactly see the point of your diatribe. A town must have an Attorney to review its documents and must have a cfo. This is exactly why consolidation is so vital. Home rule is killing NJ taxpayers.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:10:06 +0000

First of all, if anyone really believes that this part-time guy spent about one day on Mount Arlington stuff per week, then I have a bridge to sell them. I’ve seen as many white-collar government contractors as you have, I’m sure. If he had 8 or 9 small municipalities, I wouldn’t be surprised. I won’t make that accusation because it would be improper to, but I will say that it’s not uncommon to run into an attorney (for example) who serves as the township attorney and thus has to be at council meetings once a month. The contract? In Monmouth County they can get as high as $45,000 for the year!

In my mind, it’s all government waste. But regardless, no one is going to complain, so who cares?

By: Metroplexual

Metroplexual — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:35:47 +0000

5*$15K= $75K year. Sounds about right for a masters degree and the years of experience. Also he is not on the pension plan and probably does not get health care. So if he does this for 4 other towns he is making a decent but not obscene income but he seems to be an independent contractor and I can vouch that the fringe rate for a government employee is currently between 35 and 50%. So he could be more expensive if he wwere employed by the municipality instead of contracted.