Politics & Government

SP Council OKs Additional Pay for Budget Consultant

Greg Fehrenbach approached the council for more money after his contract was completed.

In a 3-2 vote, the Scotch Plains Council approved a resolution Tuesday that will pay the township’s budget consultant additional money outside of his original contract.

Consultant Greg Fehrenbach of Government Management Advisors LLC was hired by the township in March, after the resignation of Michael Capabianco left them without a manager to guide the budget process.

At the time, Fehrenbach signed off on a contract that agreed to pay him approximately $10,000, at $120 per hour, for his services. But after his contract ran out on June 30, Fehrenbach came back to the council asking for an additional $2,280 that he felt he was due for an extra 20 hours of work.

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For those council members who voted against the measure, the problem was that Fehrenbach didn’t tell them while he was carrying out his contract that he would expect to be paid for extra hours of work.

In this tough budget year, Councilwoman Mary DePaola said she could not vote in favor of taking additional funds out of the 2009 budget to pay someone who had agreed to a specific contract.

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“Mr. Fehrenbach had a great deal of my admiration … but in a year with extreme budget constraints, my guidance says we should’ve had a more formal arrangement with him prior to passing the budget,” DePaola said. “I cannot authorize a bill which exceeds his original estimate.”

“A contract is a contract,” Councilman Kevin Glover added. “If Mr. Fehrenbach believed he needed additional money, he’s a professional, he should’ve come to the council with a formal presentation requesting the additional money. This would be the first time I’ve ever seen that we pay somebody after the fact when it’s weeks after the job was complete.”

Councilman Jeffrey Strauss countered by saying that no one knew at the outset the extent of the work they had ahead of them, and that Fehrenbach deserved compensation for the additional service he provided.

“At some point during the time he provided his service, it was clear that we were at the max of what we had contracted for. The problem is his failure to stop and bill us for anything further. He continued to provide service in good faith,” Strauss said. “We didn’t know what to expect. If we say we’re not going to pay you now on the principal that you didn’t cut us off, that’s a gotcha moment.”

Fehrenbach exceeded the contract sometime in May. Mayor Nancy Malool said that while she would've rather seen him ask the council for more money at the point, she knew that Fehbrenbach would have received it then, so sees no reason why he can't receive it now.

“I see this as simply a matter of timing,” Malool said. "I would've preferred to hear it then, but I assume he was waiting to see through the end of his service on June 30. I believe he should be paid for his hours."

The township's Chief Financial Officer, Lori Majeski, will now appropriate the additional funds out of the 2009 budget.

 


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