Thursday, May 16, 2013
West Deptford CFO Brenda Sprigman is operating with outdated software and a legacy of obscure records, says Committeeman Sam Cianfarini.
Although township administrator Eric Campo produced a two-inch-thick budget abstract for West Deptford committee members to review prior to its introduction Thursday, Committeewoman Denice DiCarlo was still dissatisfied with the level of transparency in the documentation. DiCarlo was the lone dissenter when the 2013 budget was introduced at Thursday's meeting of the West Deptford committee. Among her concerns was that the salary structures it contained didn't seem to add up. For starters, DiCarlo, who complained previously that she had felt frozen out of the budget process by finance chair Sam Cianfarini and CFO Brenda Sprigman, said that she shouldn't have had to wait two months to access information that is a matter of public record. “If…
Despite protests at its May 2 meeting, the committee introduces a budget calling for a tax hike.
The public comment portion of the township committee meeting Thursday night was interrupted three times with an ear-splitting feedback loop from microphones on the dais that halted all communication for a solid 30 seconds each time. If you were looking for a clearer metaphor to describe the atmosphere of West Deptford government meetings in advance of the 2013 budget introduction, you wouldn’t have to go much further than that. Staring down the introduction of a budget that would levy 9¢ per $100 of assessed value, the governing body couldn’t even get a motion on the table at its prior meeting. Mayor Ray Chintall was having none of that in the May 16 proceedings, however. He pre-empted any conflict among his fellow committee members with a…
The West Deptford committee is also slated to discuss the issuance of as much as $5 million in tax anticipation notes.
The West Deptford township committee will make a second attempt to introduce its 2013 budget at its Thursday night meeting. The first attempt didn't fare so well, with a heated discussion between Commiteeman Sam Cianfarini and Committeewoman Denice DiCarlo devolving into arguments about the budgeting process. This week, the issue will be further colored by the news that the township is seeking to issue up to $5 million in tax anticipation notes in the same agenda. Cianfarini told Patch on Wednesday that the notes will be necessary since the introduction of the 2013 township budget has been delayed—in part, he said, because "We can’t get a straight answer from the county government about final assessment values. "We can’t find out what the …
Monday, May 6, 2013
Committeewoman Denice DiCarlo said she didn't have enough detailed information from the CFO about the working budget prior to the May 2 meeting.
Communication issues among members of the West Deptford township committee drove the May 2 meeting of the body, with committee members Denice DiCarlo and Sam Cianfarini challenging each other over the 2013 municipal budget. During that meeting, DiCarlo said her inability to get answers of depth to a number of specific questions posed of West Deptford CFO Brenda Sprigman added to her frustration with the process. Afterward, DiCarlo produced a string of email correspondences that she said illustrated some of her difficulties along the way. Correspondence In one email exchange dated April 12, DiCarlo asked Sprigman, “Who is handling the budget this year? You or the Auditors?” Sprigman's reply is, “The budget is being handled this year the …
Friday, May 3, 2013
The proverbial wheels fell right off a meeting that was expected to include the introduction of the 2013 township budget, with residents reacting audibly, and officials playing to the crowd.
Fault lines in the working relationships of township committee members were put on public display Thursday, as arguments over township finances smothered any formal introduction of the 2013 municipal budget. Mayor Ray Chintall was forced to lean heavily on his gavel, alternately quieting the body on the dais and those in attendance, who hooted or grumbled depending upon their seating arrangements. Committee members Denice DiCarlo and Sam Cianfarini were at the center of what have become commonly contentious exchanges, with emotions running high amid the strain of flagging municipal revenues. The arguments swung on a convoluted budget presentation from Cianfarini that illustrated how deeply the loss of ratable properties will be felt by …
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The senior discount age is likely to move from 55 to 62, and members likely can expect a fee increase as well.
Friday, March 22, 2013
The senior discount age is likely to move from 55 to 62, and members likely can expect a fee increase as well.
Financial matters topped the agenda at the March meeting of the West Deptford Township Committee, and foremost among them was the issue of bringing the RiverWinds Community Center out of the red. Bill list Committeeman Sam Cianfarini asked questions about a number of financial items on the Township budget, including refunds of RiverWinds membership costs. Township administrator Eric Campo pointed out that the current contract for West Deptford police and firefighters allows for the full cost of a family membership to be reimbursed. RiverWinds employees also enjoy a 75 percent reimbursement of the cost of a family membership, he said. “Do we do anything like what corporate America does where there’s a validation that you’re actually using…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Sprigman edged out a pair of candidates on the strength of her private-sector business experience, said Mayor Ray Chintall.
Committeewoman Denice DiCarlo said Sprigman was appointed by a vote along party lines; her colleague Sam Cianfarini said the acting CFO was the most qualified for the position.
She may be personable, a good manager and well-liked by people in the West Deptford government, but acting township CFO Brenda Sprigman is still not a certified municipal finance officer (CMFO), says Committeewoman Denice DiCarlo—and that concerns her. "Upset is probably an understatement of how I felt" leaving the special meeting of the West Deptford Committee Tuesday night, DiCarlo said. "I thought this was a position that we would go and hire the best-qualified candidate." DiCarlo, a Democrat, claimed that Sprigman's appointment, which was approved by a 3-2 vote along party lines, was a political decision that favored the local GOP party treasurer. "When you think about it in an accounting standard, we had two qualified candidates who …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Sprigman edged out a pair of candidates on the strength of her private-sector business experience, said Mayor Ray Chintall.
After a closed-session meeting Tuesday night, West Deptford leaders selected West Deptford resident Brenda Sprigman from a field of three candidates for the vacant CFO position in the township. "We had three very qualified candidates come and interview," said Committeeman Sam Cianfarini. "After the interview process it was just very obvious that the best candidate was Brenda Sprigman." The decision means that Sprigman will extend her role as acting CFO until December 2013. Although she is not a certified municipal CFO—one of the qualifications the committee was seeking from its applicants—Cianfarini said Sprigman will sit for that exam in May 2014. "The schedule of those classes are what delay that," he said. "The tests are only given …
Samantha McCall
6:43 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Yes, and that community center has put us in serious debt! The debt was brought to us by democratic leadership and patronage jobs here and in the county for the vote. This town has so much to offer and there are certain people who think that the practice of the last administration is OK. Well, it isn't OK. more ›