South Jersey Citizens: The Gloucester Township Reform Agenda
Monday, May 23, 2011
On May 18th, 2011 South Jersey Citizens published their list of reforms and an overview of the agenda. The narrative at the bottom of this page can also be found on the Reform Agenda Discussion page.
We challenge the Gloucester Township Town Council to pass these measures by October 1st, 2011. We dare the Republicans and Independents to work with Council to move these reforms forward in spite of their political differences.
Governing is about doing what is right for the town, not putting your political party first or sabotaging good work because of the political affiliation of the person who introduced it. The future for our town and our legacy to our children should be the best government possible, not partisan bickering. Now is the time for our elected officials to prove to the people of Gloucester Township they are deserving of our vote.
The first reform: Pay to Play is being introduced Monday May 23rd 2011. We do not think that people, organizations, or corporations should be barred from giving reasonable amounts to campaigns. that is their freedom of speech 1st amendment rights. What we object to are people or companies giving money who in turn get government contracts and public appointments. This is an inherent conflict of interest and goes beyond simple freedom of speech. Our full packet of information presented to Council is here. Web page versions of some of the material are given below.
Check back frequently for progress updates.
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Reform
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Status
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More Information
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Pay to Play
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Submitted to Council 5/19/2011
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Download Entire Packet (PDF ZIP)
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Insurance Brokering
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Pending
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Purchasing
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Pending
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Group Purchasing and Shared Services
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GT began this practice but work still needed.
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Unfunded Mandates
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Pending
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Full and Part Time Employee Reform
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Pending
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Pensions and Benefits
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Pending
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Nepotism
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Pending
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Fiscal Sunshine
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Pending
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Green Audits and Renewable Buildings
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GT began this effort Spring 2011
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Reign in GTMUA
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Pending
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Suggestion Box
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Pending
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| Eliminate Retention Bonus and Terminal Leave / Sick Time |
Pending
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Electronic Communications
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Notified Council April 2011. Still waiting for policy.
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SJC Reform Agenda Narrative
Since being elected to office in 2009, Mayor Dave Mayer of Gloucester Township has been championing making reforms and changes to give Gloucester Township the “most transparent” and best government in South Jersey. His vision is that of taking a leadership role and implementing innovating ways to save the taxpayer. This is an admirable goal that is shared by those of all political parties. The definition of each reform and the means to achieve this goal might be different within each group, but the underlying principle is not. South Jersey Citizens was formed in late 2010 to help Gloucester Township and other governing bodies achieve these shared goals.
To date, Gloucester Township has implemented GT Citizens Access to provide a remote means for citizens to be engaged in council meetings, conducted energy audits to improve the efficiency of buildings, entered into shared services agreements with other governing bodies to lower the cost of trash and recycling costs, and entered into shared purchasing agreements to lower the cost of procuring goods and equipment. These steps show the commitment Mayor Mayer and Council have towards improving local government as they have indeed produced savings and increased transparency. But these measures are just a start. There is a lot of work still left to be done.
Since 2004 when the New Jersey Taxpayers first published their list of 10 reforms for government, “good government” groups have published reform ideas. The Citizens Campaign and The South Jersey Citizens for Property Tax Reform published their list of reforms and model ordinances in 2006. The Cherry Hill Reform Committee published their list of 99 cost-savings ideas in 2010.
Some of these reform initiatives require state-level legislative action. Others require local municipal action. Others could be done by either group. When the state fails to perform its most basic function of good governance, the local governing body must find the courage to pass its own laws and look out for the local taxpayer. They must then apply pressure to the county and state officials to get the laws passed needed to bring “best government”. There are no excuses for fundamental government reform to be taking place.
To realize our common goal, South Jersey Citizens is announcing our reform agenda. We will be proposing ordinances to enact there reforms throughout the Spring and Summer of 2011. This “Gloucester Township Reform Agenda” includes ideas that have been circulated for at least 7 years as well as new ideas from Gloucester Township residents. The reforms are broken down into the following categories but are not limited to:
1. Comprehensive pay-to-play reform based on the Citizens Campaign model ordinance that has been passed by over 100 governing bodies. This will include all no-bid contractors and service providers as well as political appointees. Disallow any vendor or provider who has donated to any public party, PAC, or campaign at any level at any location throughout the state.
2. Insurance and benefit procurement reforms so the taxpayers get the best value for their money. This model ordinance is being circulated throughout the state.
3. Purchasing reform, so Gloucester Township uses purchasing agents to actively search for products and service vendors instead of putting them out for bid and waiting for vendors to apply.
4. Paradigm shift to focus on group purchasing with other governing bodies to use economies of scale to lower prices.
5. Unfunded mandate reform where the town will not implement any mandate from any other governing body that is not fully funded with dedicated funds.
6. Part time employee reform that bans employees from being scheduled to work more than 45 hours a week between all private and public entities. Any outside work is counted towards this limit first, with the individual being eligible to be paid for the difference between their other positions and 45 hours. Professionals who perform identical or similar work for other governing bodies would be paid the same wage as their lowest outside position. There will be no “premium” for working for Gloucester Township.
7. Full time employee reform that would ban outside employment for any “full time” employee with the exceptions for those who hold outside elected office. Full time employees must be dedicated to Gloucester Township.
8. Pension and benefit reform.
9. An end to nepotism within municipal and MUA hiring. No employee should feel they have special privileges because of family members employed in the town.
10. Complete fiscal “sunshine law”. The full budget published online and in clear English for each line item. Every invoice and expense throughout the budget year also available online. Include all contracts and overtime hours worked.
11. Extensive “green audits” to make municipal buildings as efficient as possible to save on energy costs.
12. Bring the GTMUA back under the control of Council, with either the Mayor or Council able to veto the minutes of meetings. GTMUA reps assigned to attend Council meetings and report on progress as the other main department heads do.
13. Municipal suggestion box for both anonymous and credited suggestions. 10% of any cost savings measure would be paid as a one-time bonus.
14. Elimination of “retention bonuses” and “terminal leave”. All sick time and vacation is “use it or lose it” with a maximum of two weeks able to be rolled over from year to year. Document no sick.
15. Electronic communications and retention policy that fully complies with all OPRA and OPMA requirements.
Details on each including ordinances will be published when they are ready to be proposed to Council.
South Jersey Citizens challenges GT Town Council to pass these and other proposed governmental reforms by October 1, 2011. For the two council members not running for office, this can be their legacy to the people. For the two council members seeking re-election, this can be the proof they are deserving of re-election. And for the remaining three members, this can show their dedication towards the goals shared by all of us. SJC further dares the GOP members running for council to work with the current council members to get this passed and if council fails to meet the October 1 deadline, sign a pledge to pass these reforms within 45 days of taking office.
For Gloucester Township to be innovators that means expanding the reforms beyond those already in place. Merely passing reforms that are becoming law throughout the state would make GT a “me too” municipality. GT must take the chance to enact controversial reforms. If others in the state or Legislature object, let them come here. Let them try to sue and stop implementation. In the court of public opinion and in every media coverage, Gloucester Township will win. There is not a mayor or legislator who will try to stop this from happening because of how it will make them look. With the entire Legislature up for election this fall, there will be support throughout the state.
When making proposals to the Mayor and Council, Mayor Mayer frequently asks for the cost savings to the town. To use health insurance and pay to play as an example, the savings can be dramatic. Gloucester Township recently signed an agreement with Connor Strong for employee benefits. This firm is owned by South Jersey Democratic power-broker George Norcross. His PAC and political machine helped to put many of our elected officials in office. Many saw this as political payback. Recently, State Senate President Sweeney tried to stop towns from enrolling in the state-run program. Many thought it was because this program was taking business away from Connor Strong. Two local governing bodies, Camden County College, 450 employees, and Lenape Regional High School, 1250 employees, each saved approximately $2 Million a year in cost by switching. Why didn’t Gloucester Township look into the state run plan? Even if Connor Strong offered better service at a lower price, reforms to pay to play and benefits brokering would have made the state program part of the discussion.
2011 is the year for change and reform. Governor Christie has been leading the charge towards making government more affordable. By his sheer will power, reform is becoming the oncoming storm of government. Gloucester Township needs to get ahead of this storm. Legislators have been using his push as cover for reforms they were afraid to make. South Jersey Citizens is just as committed as our Governor to follow through on these reforms. Council can also find “cover” if needed.
Reform does not belong to any one party of individual. It belongs to the people. South Jersey Citizens again challenges the Council of Gloucester Township to find the courage to pass meaningful and systematic reforms. These will realize the shared vision of a “best government” that Mayor Mayer has worked for in his first year in office.
