Lakewood Township proposes to merge the LIC (Lakewood industrial commission) with the LDC (Lakewood Development corporation) Those free networking seminars and many other commissions in the Township of Lakewood operate with tax monies from local tax payers. Reporter from NJ news and views give details of spending, how funds are allocated and who gets them.
NJ News & Views
"At the September 6, 2016 LDC meeting, members approved a resolution for $$65,000 in sub-recipient grant funding for the Lakewood Community Services Corporation (LCSC) Business to Business Networking 3 program".
During his public comments at the September 15, 2016 committee workshop meeting, Coles said that UEZ funds were starting to dwindle. As a result, he wanted to once again merge the LDC with the LIC. Coles said that the township's UEZ program was separated from LIC oversight years ago.
"A local developer said only the LIC has the right to negotiate the sale of (public) land, so they became separate," he said. The LDC is a non-profit organization that was incorporated on October 2, 1997. While the LIC has the authority to sell and lease public land for redevelopment, the LDC has the authority to purchase privately-owned property for redevelopment.
Coles also said he supported the merger in order to reduce the number of professionals each agency hired through duplication of services. He said most of the LDC services were now provided by the Lakewood Community Services Corporation (LCSC). The LDC is not the only Lakewood agency to fund the service organization's work.
Six years ago, the LCSC turned to the LIC for award of a $40,000 grant after the state UEZA reportedly reduced available UEZ funding for the non-profit organization's English as a Second Language (ESL) program in February 2010. The state took the action after LDC members held an illegal vote in executive session at their January 2010 meeting on a resolution for action that LDC Chairman Moshe Z. Weisberg opposed.
Weisberg is not just a long-time member of the LDC, he also is a government lobbyist and member of a political interest group that makes endorsements for elected office.
So is current LDC Chairman Avroham (Abraham) Muller.
No matter how politically influential, under the state's Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), government officials must approve the expenditure of public funds in public session, not executive session.
At the April 30, 2010 LIC meeting, member William Doyle asked why the LIC was now involved in funding an LCSC program.
"I know we have to," he said, "But that doesn't make it right."
Lakewood officials are still struggling to balance influential political interests with the public interest.
In his September 15 discussion of merging the LDC with the LIC, Coles said he wanted to "move some people around," but did not elaborate which people or how much money such a reorganization of personnel would save. More importantly, he did not discuss how the cost savings would be applied elsewhere.
Committeemen present during Coles' discussion of the proposed merger did not comment on it.
In a September 21 e-mail request for comment, a reporter for NJ News & Views asked Coles why he opposed funding the LDC Co-op Advertising Grant program, but voted to approve two other grant programs during the September 6 LDC meeting.
At the September 6, 2016 LDC meeting, members approved a resolution for $$65,000 in sub-recipient grant funding for the Lakewood Community Services Corporation (LCSC) Business to Business Networking 3 program.
Detailed project costs included a $25,000 payment to the LCSC Coordinator, $5,000 in supplies; a $2,000 guest speaker's fee; $10,000 for staff associates and clerical; and $3,500 in payroll taxes.
The grant also included $20,000 for advertising.
LDC members approved a second resolution for $96,650 in sub-recipient grant funding to the LCSC for the Business Assistance Initiative 6.
Under the 2016-2017 Business Assistance Initiative, the LDC is subsidizing the operation of a non-profit organization founded by LDC Secretary/Treasurer Moshe Z. Weisberg in 2001.
The $96,650 grant underwrites $81,500 in personnel costs, out of an annual total of $111,529.80 to employ a business director, office administrator and secretary; $800 for all Internet and phone costs; $750 for all supplies of paper, toner, etc.; $11,400 towards a total annual rent of $20,100 in a UEZ office space; and $15,150 in UEZ funding for a total of unspecified costs totaling $23,850.
The second grant also included $2,200 in marketing costs for ads, flyers and other associated services.
That's a total of $22,200 in advertising and marketing grant funding that the LCSC will receive over the next year, and that Lakewood business owners seeking UEZ Co-op Advertising Grant funds will not. read more HERE
NJ News & Views
"At the September 6, 2016 LDC meeting, members approved a resolution for $$65,000 in sub-recipient grant funding for the Lakewood Community Services Corporation (LCSC) Business to Business Networking 3 program".
During his public comments at the September 15, 2016 committee workshop meeting, Coles said that UEZ funds were starting to dwindle. As a result, he wanted to once again merge the LDC with the LIC. Coles said that the township's UEZ program was separated from LIC oversight years ago.
"A local developer said only the LIC has the right to negotiate the sale of (public) land, so they became separate," he said. The LDC is a non-profit organization that was incorporated on October 2, 1997. While the LIC has the authority to sell and lease public land for redevelopment, the LDC has the authority to purchase privately-owned property for redevelopment.
Coles also said he supported the merger in order to reduce the number of professionals each agency hired through duplication of services. He said most of the LDC services were now provided by the Lakewood Community Services Corporation (LCSC). The LDC is not the only Lakewood agency to fund the service organization's work.
Six years ago, the LCSC turned to the LIC for award of a $40,000 grant after the state UEZA reportedly reduced available UEZ funding for the non-profit organization's English as a Second Language (ESL) program in February 2010. The state took the action after LDC members held an illegal vote in executive session at their January 2010 meeting on a resolution for action that LDC Chairman Moshe Z. Weisberg opposed.
Weisberg is not just a long-time member of the LDC, he also is a government lobbyist and member of a political interest group that makes endorsements for elected office.
So is current LDC Chairman Avroham (Abraham) Muller.
No matter how politically influential, under the state's Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), government officials must approve the expenditure of public funds in public session, not executive session.
At the April 30, 2010 LIC meeting, member William Doyle asked why the LIC was now involved in funding an LCSC program.
"I know we have to," he said, "But that doesn't make it right."
Lakewood officials are still struggling to balance influential political interests with the public interest.
In his September 15 discussion of merging the LDC with the LIC, Coles said he wanted to "move some people around," but did not elaborate which people or how much money such a reorganization of personnel would save. More importantly, he did not discuss how the cost savings would be applied elsewhere.
Committeemen present during Coles' discussion of the proposed merger did not comment on it.
In a September 21 e-mail request for comment, a reporter for NJ News & Views asked Coles why he opposed funding the LDC Co-op Advertising Grant program, but voted to approve two other grant programs during the September 6 LDC meeting.
At the September 6, 2016 LDC meeting, members approved a resolution for $$65,000 in sub-recipient grant funding for the Lakewood Community Services Corporation (LCSC) Business to Business Networking 3 program.
Detailed project costs included a $25,000 payment to the LCSC Coordinator, $5,000 in supplies; a $2,000 guest speaker's fee; $10,000 for staff associates and clerical; and $3,500 in payroll taxes.
The grant also included $20,000 for advertising.
LDC members approved a second resolution for $96,650 in sub-recipient grant funding to the LCSC for the Business Assistance Initiative 6.
Under the 2016-2017 Business Assistance Initiative, the LDC is subsidizing the operation of a non-profit organization founded by LDC Secretary/Treasurer Moshe Z. Weisberg in 2001.
The $96,650 grant underwrites $81,500 in personnel costs, out of an annual total of $111,529.80 to employ a business director, office administrator and secretary; $800 for all Internet and phone costs; $750 for all supplies of paper, toner, etc.; $11,400 towards a total annual rent of $20,100 in a UEZ office space; and $15,150 in UEZ funding for a total of unspecified costs totaling $23,850.
The second grant also included $2,200 in marketing costs for ads, flyers and other associated services.
That's a total of $22,200 in advertising and marketing grant funding that the LCSC will receive over the next year, and that Lakewood business owners seeking UEZ Co-op Advertising Grant funds will not. read more HERE