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Residents tell Paterson council: trash, rats and missing federal accounting demand action
Summary
Multiple public speakers raised sanitation and rodent problems, cited DCA monitoring and a recent audit, and urged the council to account for federal American Rescue Plan funds and to address payroll/accounting irregularities.
During public comment, residents described pervasive trash and rodent problems in several neighborhoods and asked the city to act. David Gilmore said he documented growing garbage on West Railway and reported seeing rats; he asked for urgent attention to refuse collection and pest control.
Victor Urbaias and Deborah Hannibal focused on fiscal oversight, saying state audits and monitoring by the Department of Community Affairs show lapses in accounting for federal relief funds. Urbaias referenced reporting that implicated the city’s handling of American Rescue Plan monies and said the community could not afford to lose those funds; Hannibal and others asked for clearer revenue collection and accounting practices and called for answers about unpaid professional invoices.
Public commenters also raised a zoning/health concern about a slaughterhouse approval on Washington Street, arguing that permits should not allow a slaughterhouse in proximity to residences because of odors and public-health impacts. Speakers said they would press for a review of approvals and the agencies involved.
Council members heard the remarks and acknowledged the complaints; the audit and DCA monitoring were referenced previously in the council’s debate over payment of bills, and councilors asked finance and administration for follow-up reporting.
