Town questions funds given to groups

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

Maplewood officials will apply greater scrutiny to how four local nonprofits are using taxpayer money.

Each year, the township financially supports YouthNet, the Community Coalition on Race, the Springfield Avenue Partnership and the Maplewood Village Alliance.

In 2011, those organizations received a combined $82,700. Mayor Vic De Luca announced Jan. 28 that the township and those organizations will reach agreements spelling out how this year’s money will be spent. He said the town is no longer giving “general support” to the groups.

“They’ll all be in a contract for service, which will have measurable objectives and very specific things that we want to fund,” he said.

When asked why the township was making the change, De Luca responded, “We need to have more accountability for how our dollars are spent and just targeting the dollars to compliment town goals.”

De Luca’s comments came after the latest round of municipal budget hearings. Township officials are working on the 2012 spending plan, having met with government department heads on consecutive weekends.

The Community Coalition, seeking the same $34,200 it received in 2011, was the last group to appear before the governing body. During the hearing, the topic of South Orange’s financial contribution to the Coalition — or lack thereof — became a focus of the conversation.

The village has decided to forgo giving the organization money in 2012, although the town did offer the Coalition free office space in one of its municipal buildings.

“They’re not contributing a single dime to the programs of the Community Coalition,” Township Committeeman Jerry Ryan said. “If South Orange isn’t funding anything, then why should we make up that difference?”

“I’m optimistic that we’ll get something,” Coalition Chairman Anthony Greene told the board earlier in the day.
But on Monday, the village was clear: No money means no money.

“Nothing, zero, zippo,” Trustee Howard Levison said in a phone interview. “Zero is zero.”

Levison added that it is technically illegal for a municipality to give a financial contribution to a nonprofit organization.
South Orange officials have also been concerned about some of the stands the organization has taken in the past, including its lobbying in favor of delevling at the middle schools two years ago.

Maplewood is concerned too. De Luca told representatives of the organization that the town does not want the money it provides to go toward the coalition’s school-advocacy work.

He said members of the Township Committee got “hammered” by the public when the organization took a position on the deleveling issue.

Philip Sean Curran can be reached at 908-686-7700, ext. 116, or at newsrecord@thelocalsource.com.