Having an Agenda: Lodi BOE Shuts the Public Out!

The Lodi BOE refuses to post agendas on their district website.  Then they refuse to provide an agenda at their public meetings. 

The Lodi BOE only provides minutes for one meeting at a time on their website (they take them down within 30 days).  The minutes list items that are never discussed at the actual meetings.

In wake of the Midland Park ruling, and after seeing Lodi’s performance in this week’s Record newspaper, I really expected the BOE to post an agenda for Wednesday’s meeting.  They didn’t. 

I OPRA-ed the agenda for the January 29, 2014 meeting.  I requested a copy of the agenda that was provided to the board members prior to the meeting.  

And this is what they gave me:

This is unacceptable.  This is not a real agenda.  This does not tell the public what is occuring at its public meetings.  This does not tell the board members what they will be voting on.

This past week, the Lodi BOE hurt Lodi’s home values when the Record provided performance reports.  The Lodi BOE further discourages parental involvement or any community involvment for that matter by fighting all efforts for transparency.

Why can’t they provide the same public information provided by other towns?  I randomly looked at 3 neighboring districts to see if they provide meeting agendas.  They do.

Wood-Ridge:

http://wood-ridge.schoolwires.net/cms/lib6/NJ01001835/Centricity/Domain/25/1-15-2014%20Revised%20BOE%20Public%20Meeting.pdf

Saddle Brook:

http://www.saddlebrookschools.org/sbsd/District%20Office/Board%20of%20Education/Meeting%20Agendas/January%2015%2C%202014.pdf

Even the Hackensack BOE which has a terrible reputation for its politics and nepotism:

http://www.hackensackschools.org/files/301710/january%2013,%202014%20boe%20agenda.pdf

Luna gave a “State of the Borough”…But not really

Today’s Community News stated that Tony Luna gave an “end of the year report” at the Lodi council work session on January 14.  I was the only member of the public present at the work session.  No newspaper reporters were present.

Tony Luna NEVER gave a “State of the Borough” or end of year report.  In fact, when it was time for him to give his monthly Manager’s Report, he handed the council a sheet of paper so he wouldn’t have to discuss his report publicly.  He never provided a copy to the public (me).  This is no way to run a public meeting. 

So why would Luna break tradition and not discuss his Manager’s Report publicly?  Because last year his tax/spending claims were questioned and debunked.  So this year, he skipped all conversation on the matter and fed the Community News a press release.

The press release sounded so good, I would vote for this administration if I didn’t know better.  But I do know better.

Luna has nothing to brag about with regard to municipal taxes.  In 2013, Lodi had the second highest effective tax rate in all of Bergen County.  There are 70 towns in Bergen County.

These charts speak for themselves:

Tony Luna wants to blame all the tax increase on the Lodi Board of Education.  Even if that were the case, the Lodi council is one in the same with the BOE and have blurred all lines of separation on the tax bill.  You have the same few families sitting on the council and the BOE.  You have council members employed in our schools and board members employed in the borough hall.  You have a combined number of 14 “Yes” people on both bodies controlled by Tony Luna and Joseph Capizzi.  They raise taxes together.

The Lodi BOE is responsible for a lot of the tax increases but not all.  Just look at municipal spending over the last 2 years.  In 2012, municipal spending was $24,581,470.29.  It 2013, it rose to $25,280,227.65.  That was an increase of $698,757. 36 or a 2.84% increase.  Yes, their spending surpassed 2% from 2012 to 2013.  And municipal taxes increased at a time when Lodi saw its council bonding millions of dollars for the most basic expenses.  They gave Lodi more taxes and more debt.

And some of the things Luna says just don’t make sense.  Take this quote from today’s paper:

"ShopRite, the new Lodi Mall and the WaWa complex alone have added $18,647,400 to our assessed value. Our ratables on these projects alone are $592,987,000. This would be comparable to the taxes received on 658 homes paying taxes of $9,000 each," said Luna.

If those businesses combined added $18,647,400 to our assessed value, then they would be paying a combined $592, 987.32 in taxes, not $592, 987,000.  The tax rate for Lodi in 2013 was 3.18.  And 658 homes paying $9,000 each would be paying $5,922,000.  So none of the three figures match up.  And his figures are in quotation marks so I am sure they came from him.

And Shoprite was built by 2007.   Luna included it as a 2013 achievement. 

http://www.northjersey.com/news/241507221_Lodi_Borough_Manager_gives_state_of_the_borough_report.html?page=all

Serious Discrepancy with Lodi’s Pension Numbers for Marcel Wurms…

http://php.app.com/NJpublicemployees13/details.php?recordID=107785

At the August 21, 2012 council meeting, I asked the following question:

The following month, this administration acknowledged that I was right.  Marcel Wurms never belonged in the pension program for his position as “Special Borough Counsel” in which they claimed he was paid $65,000 a year. 

They also said he was being paid to be the Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator.  With their numbers, he would be making almost $5,000 a year for his part-time employment as Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator.  They claimed he would remain in the pension program only for that position.

By the end of 2012, no more than $5,000 should have been listed as a pensionable salary for Marcel Wurms.  That was not the case.

Public sites list Marcel Wurms’ number of public positions being reduced from two to one.  However, they show his pensionable salary only being reduced from $70,000 to $49,133. 

This administration stated at a public meeting that his $65,000 position was removed from the pension program.  They should not be reporting a $49,133 salary for his part time position in the OEM.

This is a serious matter.  It should be addressed swiftly.

September 18, 2012 Minutes:

http://www.lodi-nj.org/web_content/acrobat/minutes/2012-09-18-regcouncil.pdf

August 21, 2012 Minutes:

http://www.lodi-nj.org/web_content/acrobat/minutes/2012-08-21-council-lodi-min.pdf

Say NO to Paparozzi's overdevelopment! Say NO to Schrieks' special favors for the rich!

Paparozzi has been unable to make his case why a developer should be able to knock down a one family residential home and replace it with a 9 unit multi-family dwelling when so many variances are required.

http://www.publicnoticeads.com/NJ/search/view.asp?T=PN&id=272\1132014_20956743.HTM

Paparozzi made a lot of money on projects like these while he was mayor without disclosing his personal interests.  He even lied about his personal interest in his Union Street project when he was asked about it at a council meeting.  The people that hired him and used to sit on the council with him said this.

Now Paparozzi is being paid to represent Lodi's interests as its "Planner". But he appears to only be representing the interests of the developer.

Marcel Wurms is the attorney for the Zoning Board.  He cannot be trusted. 

Marc Schrieks' father is a Zoning Board member.  He only does what Marc tells him to do.  And we have all seen that Marc does special favors for those with a lot of money so they can help him buy his elections.

It has been alleged that the outcome for an applicant before the Zoning Board depends on who the applicant is or how much money they have.  This is no way to run a town. 

If this administration wants to tell residents that they cannot build a new two family on a 50 X 100 and then allow so many variances for Harrison Ave, they should all be investigated.