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Council appoints slate of professionals amid public calls for contract transparency
Summary
Council voted to appoint a slate of legal and engineering professionals March 12 after public commenters asked for contract amounts and documentation; residents also raised concerns about the borough administrator’s outside work and frequent absences under a $168,000 contract.
The Englewood Cliffs Mayor and Council voted March 12 to appoint a slate of professional service providers—attorneys, engineers and other specialists—after earlier reading the proposed appointments and receiving public questions about contract financials.
A resident asked whether the professionals read by the mayor were newly engaged and when financial documents would be available. Council staff replied that draft agendas and draft resolutions/ordinances are preliminary and that adopted documents will be uploaded to the website after formal adoption. The mayor then added the appointment vote to the agenda and the council approved the appointments by roll call (all members voting yes as recorded).
Several public commenters pressed for greater transparency. One speaker said the public received no copies of ordinances or resolutions to be voted on that night, criticized the lack of financial detail for items involving money, and called it "probably illegal" not to provide copies for public review. Another resident raised concerns that the borough administrator, whose contract was described in public comment as $168,000 annually (contract signed in April), had frequent absences and had taken outside assignments in other jurisdictions without apparent council approval.
Council members and other speakers defended the administration’s work, noted ongoing efforts to bring professionals to the borough, and said they would provide adopted documents and financial information consistent with municipal procedures. The council did not record an inquiry vote to rescind or modify the administrator’s contract during the meeting.
Actions recorded at the meeting included a roll-call vote to appoint the professionals and a separate roll-call approval to add the appointments item to the agenda before voting. The meeting record shows several ordinances were withdrawn for reintroduction in a clean form and several consent-agenda items were held for further review.
