Point Boro GOP Approves Bills Without Dems

Just two months after the Republican-controlled Point Borough Council approved a slate of professionals, the council appears to be bickering over the bills.

On Tuesday night, the Council went through a list of resolutions as it customarily does – Tuesday’s list included authorizations to hire lifeguards and recreation department workers for the summer.

Most of the resolutions were passed unanimously, but when it came to Resolution 118-2012, Bills and Claims, Democrats Christopher Goss and Christopher Leitner both voted no, while the Republicans – Robert Sabosik, Antoinette DePaolo, Mitchell Remig and John Wisniewski – all voted yes, thus approving the bills for payment by a 4-2 vote.

After the meeting, Leitner said he voted no because he feels some of the bills need more scrutiny.

“The bills are going to way overperform what we were promised at the beginning of the year,” if the town continues to receive bills similar to what it is receiving now, Leitner said.

Goss said he requested formation of a bills committee to review the bills, but “that committee has died on the vine.”

He said it has been difficult with the schedules of Sabosik and Wisnieski, who were named to the committee with Goss, to find an opportunity to meet to discuss the bills.

Goss said they have attempted to have the finance office send packages with all of the invoices to each member of the committee for review before the council meeting, but he said that has been inadequate.

Sabosik, in an email reply to the questions raised by Goss, said the subcommittee of "bill review" has been reviewing the bills individually.

“If any member of the subcommittee wishes a formal meeting, including the alternate, Councilmember Leitner, they can ask for one,” Sabosik said. “Historically the town has had six committees established and this new subcommittee is not in our code, henceforth a meeting schedule was never established, since many of us were completing our assigned task in a different manner as previously stated.”

Sabosik said the bills are submitted after the work is completed, and that he trusts that “our executive team of Dave Maffei and our finance office insure the work was completed before the bill was submitted for approval.”

“As you saw last night (Tuesday night), I break down the bills to insure the right amount of money is charged to our town,” he said, referring to a discussion where he gave a breakdown of the bill submitted by the law firm of Borough Attorney Jerry Dasti.

“If any of us find a bill we feel needs more information, we then discuss that in executive session with the whole council and mayor and Mr. Maffei to insure all input and all opinions are stated and shared,” he said.

Goss said the council has rejected a bill from one vendor – which he would not identify – and asked that vendor to reconsider the charges, but he still is concerned the council is not doing enough, a sentiment Leitner shared.

“They could sustain a little more scrutiny,” Leitner said.

“I have full faith in our administrator and his team at Borough Hall that all of these items are being looked at thoroughly and professionally,” Sabosik said. “Our subcommittee is like an audit committee, insuring that the town is getting everything that they are paying for.”