Lodi By The Numbers: “Consulting Fees”, Sirius Radio, and Temper tantrums

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

“Consulting Fees”, Sirius Radio, and Temper tantrums

Below are some questions of the council tonight (in yellow) and a summary of responses:

1) Mrs. Licata, monthly bills show that your son was being paid $350 for consulting fees (May, July). Now he is being paid $500 (October). Why the increase?

Mrs. Licata didn’t know what the consulting fees were for. She said she could call her son and ask him what they were for if I really cared.

Marc Schrieks read all of Shane Sudol’s bills from years ago.

I said that wasn’t the issue at hand. The deputy mayor’s son is being paid by the borough for consulting fees and they should be able to explain the increase. Are any Lodi tax dollars used for this?

Marc Schrieks responded, “No”, and said it was all grant money.

The auditor said Lodi tax dollars are appropriated for the drug alliance as matching funds. He stated that the appropriated tax dollars may or may not be used each year.

Marc Schrieks said it was Licata’s job at the club to apply for grants.

Doesn’t Joe Licata get paid by the club? Why are you paying him extra for something you say is his job at the club?

They don’t know. Marc asked if I would rather see Mike Nardino get paid the money.

Mr. Schrieks said during the June meeting that he believed Joe Licata was the only qualified person for the “consulting fees”. What are the qualifications?

Marc doesn’t know what the qualifications are. He said that Mike Nardino, Diego Cruz, and Joe Licata are qualified for the consulting fees.

Mr. Schrieks sits on the board of directors of the Lodi Boys & Girls Club. He should be able to answer questions about bills he approves on the council.

Marc said that he hasn’t attended a meeting in 8 months.

I said that is nothing to be proud of.

Marc’s face turned beet red. He asked me to name any public service I do.

I stated that I don’t tell everyone when I volunteer and that some people don’t brag about themselves.

If you don’t understand the monthly bills, and because of your conflicts, maybe you should tell the agency in charge of grants to deal directly with the club.

2) Did you bill Lodi for any expenses during your trip to Atlantic City?

Marc Schrieks said “No”.

So you didn’t bill Lodi for your hotel room like last year?

Schrieks said he got a hotel room for free this year.

I stated that I was glad that Marc didn’t bill Lodi again for his hotel rooms.

Tony Luna sat silent and didn’t state whether or not he billed Lodi for any personal expenses in Atlantic City.

3) Can you explain $181.31 bill for Sirius radio?

Tony Luna said he thinks it came with a police car so the town had to pay for it. He then added it was part of a contract.

I stated that the bill was paid to Sirius and not the car dealership. I explained that Sirius radio is an option and you aren’t forced to pay for it.

Marc Schrieks argued that it’s not optional and you have to pay for it. He then attacked me. He stated over and over that I think I’m a car salesman now and an expert on car leases.

I stated that I bought a car not too long ago and nobody is forced to pay for Sirius radio. It is an option.

4) When you post the minutes for this meeting, can you include the actual resolutions for the tax settlements and tax refunds?

Marc said they can be viewed upstairs.

I stated that Pinto is already saving about $20,000 this year in taxes. He is listed tonight for receiving another settlement (not a judgment). What else can you possible give him?

I asked if they can just e-mail me all the monthly resolutions and I will put them on-line. This would require no work or paper. They are already saved on the computer and they can easily be e-mailed as an attachment.

This administration explained that an OPRA request would have to be filled out for that information.

Follow up:

Where is this supposed grant money coming from? Here are the grant pages from Lodi's budgets for 2013, 2012, and 2011. The money anticipated and realized from the categories that sound like they could apply to the issue at hand wouldn't even cover Joe Licata's consulting fees.

2013 Budget Page 16/46:

http://www.lodi-nj.org/web_content/acrobat/budgets/Budget-CY2013-Adopted.pdf