September 12, 2012

Township Debates Transition Finances

The question of whether or not to hire a construction manager “for a sum not to exceed $129,504” to oversee remaining consolidation operations, and whether or not to approve a professional services agreement with a cap of $107,290 to pay KSS Architects for “Phase II-Task 2” work on consolidation, generated heated discussion at Monday night’s Township Committee meeting.

The professional services agreement was ultimately approved, while the question of hiring a construction manager was tabled until the next joint meeting.

“I’m begging you,” Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi finally said to Township Committee after defending the need for the approval of both motions С particularly the KSS payment. Mr. Bruschi will be the administrator of new single municipality created by consolidation.

Township Mayor Chad Goerner, who was firmly on the side of not hiring a construction manager and had doubts about the KSS contract, pointed out that the two expenditures had not been discussed earlier. He counseled “caution” in moving ahead.

Citing a “tight time frame,” Mr. Bruschi responded that the recommendation had come from the Transition Task Force’s Facilities Subcommittee in the hope that the Borough and the Township would “run with it.”

Acknowledging that a conversation at an earlier meeting seemed to point toward not hiring a construction manager, Mr. Bruschi noted that the extent of the work that remains to be done was not known at that point. “It’s not something that we have the capability of doing in-house,” he observed. Township Engineer Bob Kiser concurred, saying that a construction manager with the right contacts is needed “if we’re going to fast track this project.”

Mr. Goerner said that he was “not convinced that we need to fast track” consolidation. He described the costs in question as “high,” and suggested that the work might not be complete by January 1, 2013, anyway. Mr. Bruschi agreed that consolidation would not be completed by that date, but suggested that that didn’t preclude “doing the project correctly” and expediting it as much as possible in order to minimize disruption. He pointed out that “$120,000” was not that significant in the context of an operation that will cost an estimated $60 million, and that “savings will only come if we have the right design.”

“I’ve never met a delay that saved us money,” observed Councilwoman Sue Nemeth, expressing concern about services like police, administration, and Corner House, that might be impacted “if we did delay.”

“We need to be cognizant” of what transition-related expenditures are costing, responded Mr. Goerner. He suggested keeping “an eye on individual expenditures” that may be occurring without the approval of the two governing bodies, and proposed that the decision be tabled until the next joint meeting. Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert suggested that in the future, potential expenditures should be presented first to the Finance Committee.

Facilities subcommittee chair Bernie Miller, who said that he has also continued to work informally with staff preparing for consolidation, emphasized that the two motions in question related to “two very distinct tasks.”

He pointed out that KSS is being asked to develop detailed drawings and specifications, while a construction manager would “coordinate the movement of many people in many departments with minimal disruption,” working, for example, on evenings and weekends. Mr. Miller’s motion to approve the resolution for outside construction management was not seconded.

Acting Township Administrator Kathy Monzo, who will be the CFO of the new municipality said that she “was surprised” at the contract amounts, but recognized that “this isn’t a simple move. Nothing is extravagant in there; they’re really just functional changes.” When Township Engineer Bob Kiser pointed out that the governing bodies do not have cost estimates for the conceptual plans, Ms. Monzo wondered why this couldn’t be done in-house, as it would be done for any other project.

Mr. Goerner cast the only “no” in the final vote to approve the professional services agreement with KSS Architects.

There was unanimity, however, in Township’s approval of a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United Decision, giving “personhood” to corporations, allowing them to donate to political campaigns as individuals.


August 1, 2012

“Phase 2” of Consolidation Begins

With the signing of a $38,000 contract with KSS Architects to refurbish the two current municipal buildings, “Phase 2” of the transition process has begun.

At a joint Monday evening meeting that included Borough Council, Township Committee, and Transition Task Force members, subcommittee representatives gave their recommendations for the composition of some of the new departments in the consolidated municipality, reconciling the different employee compensation packages currently received by Borough and Township employees, and other questions that need to be resolved before January 1, 2013. Compliance with local and state guidelines were important considerations, they said.

It was agreed that a “Princeton Board of Health” will replace the current “Princeton Regional Health Department,” allowing for more flexibility in responding to local concerns. Borough Councilman Roger Martindell wondered if it wouldn’t be more efficient to use the governing body as the health department, thus avoiding some of “the legal conflicts” that have occurred between the current health department and the governing bodies. There was overwhelming support, however, for having professional experts in health-related fields as members of a separate entity.

The many conversations and decisions that have occurred in preparation for consolidation will be documented in a final report, said CGR Vice President Joseph Stefko. Intended to be used for both “reference” and “strategic” purposes, the report will chart how decisions were made and “memorialize” all the recommendations that came out of subcommittees. It will also document the Transition Task Force’s role, as well as those of its subcommittees, by “walking through” each of the tasks set out at the beginning of the process, and the various options that could have been chosen. The first release of the report, probably in September, will have “place holders” in those instances where financial decisions are still in flux, said Mr. Stefko. He expected that Finance Committee information would become available in October.

Mr. Stefko noted that the concluding section of the report will “really be forward-looking,” to ensure that “the new governing body is attentive to the issues.”

Most of those present at the meeting voiced their support for “the concept” of a celebration to mark the municipalities’ consolidation, although there were differing views on the best venue and time for it. While the Communications subcommittee recommended a New Year’s Eve, family-style event on Palmer Square from 3 to 4 p.m., there was also support for using Hinds Plaza, with the library’s Community Room as a good back-up. Residents’ enthusiasm for this celebration has, apparently, been considerable; thanks to their donations, no taxpayer dollars will be used to purchase “consolicake” or any of the other refreshments.

A second set of recommendations for the new government will be presented at a joint meeting on August 15.


February 8, 2012

Transition Task Force Brainstorms Merger

With the naming of Mark Freda as chairman and Steve Sillars as vice-chairman, the Consolidation Transition Task Force is ready to start planning the merging of the two Princetons. The group held its first organizational meeting last Wednesday and will meet again tonight to tackle such topics as an early retirement program for municipal employees, the proposed hiring of KSS Architects to figure out space planning for merging offices, and other consolidation-related matters.

More than 60 people were on hand for the initial gathering, which was switched from a meeting room at the Township Building to the larger, main meeting hall. Borough Mayor Yina Moore and Township Mayor Chad Goerner led most of the discussion, but will defer at tonight’s meeting and in the future to Mr. Freda, who is a former Borough Council member and emergency services director of Princeton Borough. He and Mr. Sillars were unanimously elected by the task force.

The task force has an initial budget of $50,000, contributed equally by the Township and Borough, for such expenses as hiring independent auditors or consultants. With a preliminary report due April 10, time is short. “This is a very, very aggressive schedule,” said Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi, in his opening summary of the task force’s duties. He and Jim Pascale, who is the Township administrator, said they have been meeting with department heads since consolidation was approved by the voters last November.

The two administrators divided their findings into three areas: organizational charts, transition costs, and the savings that can be achieved through consolidation. Mr. Pascale said that the department heads had been able to find ways to save costs. “There are many hidden costs that need to be addressed,” Pascale said. “From the color of police cars and deciding what to do with that, there are all kinds of costs along those lines as we transition into one community. Department heads have made a tentative list of issues.”

The hiring of an architect firm, specifically KSS, which designed the Municipal Building, was recommended by the administrators to do the space planning involved in merging the offices of the municipalites. “Our goal number one is to start putting bodies in offices in Township Hall, Borough Hall, and the recreation complex,” said Mr. Pascale. “We will need expertise. I met with KSS. Bob is comfortable with KSS. We don’t have a lot of time to go out and solicit bids.”

The money for the services of an architecture firm, estimated at $28,000, would not come from the $50,000 transition budget, but from the money put aside for transition costs. “We don’t have time to have an RFP (request for proposal),” said Mr. Bruschi. “We’re not trying to shove KSS down your throats, but the Township is comfortable with this.”

Task force member Jim Levine urged that the suggestion be tabled until he and his colleagues have had time to consider it. “Moving forward with KSS seems like the cart is way before the horse,” he said. “It just feels like we should have more input.” The group agreed to table the question of hiring KSS until tonight’s meeting.

The members of the task force were urged by several to “follow the road map” established by the Consolidation Commission, which was formed last year to study the consolidation proposal. “I don’t want the task force to get the idea that we’re here to re-invent the wheel,” Mr. Goerner said. “Follow the model of the consolidation commission.” Aaron Lahnston, who chaired the commission, echoed that request. “Be true to the plan,” he said, during the public comment section of the meeting. “The voters voted for it.”

The early retirement incentive program is another priority, Mr. Pascale said. “The consolidation report eliminated 18.5 positions. The law that created the ability to consolidate also has a provision where you can humanely reduce the size of staff through an early retirement program.”

An application must be filed by the Borough and Township with the State of New Jersey to obtain estimates on the cost of an early retirement incentive program. “We might not want to consider the program once we see the numbers,” said Mr. Goerner. “We need to look at the issue from a cost perspective, understanding what other options are available. This is the key critical issue before we move forward.”

During the public comment section of the meeting, Jefferson Road resident Kate Warren asked whether the municipalities must accept bids for the architecture contract. Mr. Bruschi replied that since the contract is considered a professional service, it is exempt from the rules that govern public bidding.

Township resident Henry Sager urged the task force to create “a plan for a plan. It needs to be very clear what you can do as a task force,” he said, adding that differences in work cultures will need to be considered as departments are merged.

Mr. Lahnston urged the task force to consult members of the consolidation commission. “We want to support you,” he said. “Please use us. Call on us. We want to help.” He also recommended that the task force use the commission’s consultant, Center for Governmental Research (CGR), as its project manager.

Kristin Appelget, Princeton University’s director of community relations, offered to provide resources and information. “If there is a subcommittee on town and gown, we’d be interested,” she said.

The task force will hold its public meetings every other Wednesday starting tonight, at 7 p.m., in the municipal building. The group’s term expires June 30, 2013.