Council approves $48.7 million bills list after heated dispute over finance consultant invoices
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Summary
Paterson City Council approved a $48,660,329.32 payment-of-bills resolution after an extended debate about consultant invoices and parliamentary procedure. Councilman Jackson pressed for invoice detail and alleged the council lacked oversight; the motion passed 8–1.
Paterson Municipal Council approved the payment of bills totaling $48,660,329.32 on April 14 after an extended and contentious exchange over consultant invoices and meeting procedure.
Council Vice President Marissa Davila, speaking as finance chair, outlined the disbursement summary — noting a $35,000,000 one-time pension payment and payroll totals — and moved to approve payment of bills. Councilman Jackson challenged whether the packet and emailed report included invoices for a finance consultant and pressed for details about amounts and duration. According to statements in the meeting, the emailed breakdown listed approximately $43,600 for 2024, $78,725 for 2025 and about $12,500 so far for 2026; Jackson cited a single invoice he said equaled roughly $15,000 for one week's work.
The Business Administrator told the council the full report had been sent the previous day and that the consultant arrangement was presented as a cost-effective alternative to backfilling an assistant CFO position. Corporation Counsel and the clerk were repeatedly drawn into a procedural dispute about whether Jackson could readdress or change his vote before the clerk called the roll. Jackson argued his vote had been skipped during roll call at one point and repeatedly asserted a right under Robert's Rules to have his vote recorded or changed; Corporation Counsel responded that motions to reconsider and formal changes of vote follow specific procedures under the city's code and Robert's Rules and that a motion and a second are required in some contexts.
Other council members defended the clerk's handling of the roll call and emphasized decorum. After the debate, the clerk recorded the final tally as eight in favor and one opposed; the payment-of-bills motion passed.
Why it matters: The exchange raised substantive oversight questions about the city's use of outside consultants, when their invoices appear in council packets, and how council members get access to supporting documentation ahead of votes. Several council members urged clearer packet inclusion and committee-level review for significant consultant spending.
What happens next: Council members asked for clearer documentation and for the BA and finance committee to ensure invoices and supporting details are included in advance. The council moved on to remaining agenda items after the vote.
Quotes: "The entire council was sent a report on that specific subject yesterday," the Business Administrator said, describing the emailed packet. "It reflects everything I stated last week." (BA) "We're voting on a bills list ... This is what the most important thing that the council has to do to be prudent with how we spend money," Councilman Jackson said, pressing for invoice detail.
Ending: The council approved the payment-of-bills resolution 8–1 and directed staff to provide clearer supporting documentation for future disbursement votes.
