Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Salem council approves engineer contracts for demolition and storm‑sewer mapping, adopts audit corrective plan and authorizes tax‑title foreclosures
Summary
Council accepted a $3,500 demolition engineering proposal for 303 East Broadway, approved Bryson & Yates' $25,000 GIS storm-sewer mapping contract, adopted a corrective action plan responding to the 2023 audit findings, and authorized foreclosure of five tax-title certificates.
At its Sept. 9 caucus the Salem Common Council approved several administrative measures intended to address blight, infrastructure mapping and audit findings.
The council accepted a Bryson & Yates cost proposal not to exceed $3,500 for engineering, bid preparation and part-time construction management services related to demolition of 303 East Broadway; the demolition follows state construction-official notices that the structure was certified as an imminent hazard. The engineering proposal includes surveying, permit coordination, bid documents and limited inspection services.
Council also accepted a separate Bryson & Yates proposal, budgeted not to exceed $25,000, to prepare GIS mapping of the City’s storm‑sewer inventory to meet New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection MS4 permit standards. The packet indicates digital shapefiles and NJDEP‑standard templates will be delivered.
On fiscal controls, the council adopted Resolution 2024-238 approving a Corrective Action Plan in response to the 2023 audit. The audit findings in the packet cited multiple internal-control weaknesses: the City did not maintain a fixed-asset ledger for 2023; the tax-title lien redemption fund analysis was incomplete; budget line over-expenditures occurred prior to transfers; and ledgers and written procedures for financial processes were not consistently maintained. The corrective-action steps assign responsibilities to the CFO, Tax Collector and other officials and call for monthly reconciliations and procedure documentation.
The council also authorized Resolution 2024-240 to begin foreclosure proceedings on five municipal tax‑sale certificates (listed in the packet) by in rem summary foreclosure.
"The State of New Jersey DCA Construction Official certified and completed a 'Certification of a Structure as an Imminent & Extreme Hazard' for the structure at 303 East Broadway," the demolition resolution states. Council approved the demolition management services by motion and roll call.
Why it matters: The demolition authorization responds to a documented imminent-hazard finding; GIS mapping supports regulatory compliance and stormwater management; the corrective-action plan addresses audit recommendations that affect the City's financial controls; tax-title foreclosure moves long-delinquent liens toward resolution, which can affect property status and future tax revenue.
What happens next: Contractors will be solicited under the engineer’s bid documents for demolition. The engineering firm will produce GIS shapefiles for the City's MS4 reporting. The CFO and Tax Collector will implement monthly reconciliations and other actions described in the corrective-action plan. Foreclosure proceedings were authorized to proceed on the certificates listed in the packet.
Quotes on record: Chief Brooks reported that ShotSpotter data showed an 8.3% decline in gun‑violence incidents year-over‑year; that statistic was noted in the public-safety committee report. The demolition and mapping proposals and the audit findings are recorded in the meeting packet and resolutions adopted on Sept. 9.
