Taxpayers may pay $1 million more for the borough’s new boardwalk not because of faulty math, as originally claimed, but because the town wants to change the pattern of the boards.
The explanation for changing the board pattern and spending the extra money itself changed on Tuesday.
First, Birdsall Services Group said it was solely for aesthetics.
Less than an hour later, the company said it was to make the boardwalk stronger.
“It’s all FEMA-reimbursable anyway,” Mayor Matt Doherty said.
Regardless of the evolving reason, taxpayers will be on the hook for $1.4 million in additional expenses should the Borough Council approve the change order during its 6 p.m. meeting Wednesday……………………..
Read the whole story in the Asbury Park Press here.
7 Comments
Aren’t the taxpayers truly on the hook for $2.4m in additional spending? Wasn’t the “savings” by changing the decking material a true savings and was never to be spent?
Well the beach utility is on the hook for $20 million right now until we finish building it and find out the true final cost, less whatever FEMA chips in. If beach revenues fall short of what we need to service the bond, then the taxpayers will be paying the difference.
And all of this with out a beach fee increase says Mayor Doherty.
We are being led down a path that will be difficult to navigate over the next few years, and what will the eventual FEMA audit in a few more years tell us?
OK, I will make a clarification. Of the $2.4 million in extra costs, the taxpayers of the United States of America will be on the hook for an additional $1.8 million and the beach patrons, or potentially (and legally), the taxpayers of Belmar will be on the hook for an additional $600,000?
Less the million for the cheaper planking. It also depends on how much we can get from FEMA. So far we haven’t gotten anything and they can ask for their money back years later if they find that the bills were inflated.
Personally, I think FEMA, aside from being unconstitutional, is immoral in that it forces other people in other states to pay our bills and forces us to pay other state’s bills. Each state should all pay their own bills and then maybe we would be a little more careful how we spend our money.
Anyway, Belmar taxpayers will only pay for shortfalls in revenue from badge sales.
I am troubled by this quote, “While the Borough Council technically has the option Wednesday night of turning down the herringbone pattern and keeping the boards parallel, Calabrese noted that he already authorized Epic to begin installing joists with the new pattern.”
I hope that someone questions why Calabrese acted outside his authority and authorized an expenditure not yet approved by Mayor and Council. I hope Calabrese is accountable to pay this amount that he authorized should Mayor and Council “have a spine” and vote down the aesthetic change.
It wouldn’t be the first time they acted and then voted.
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