MAY 4, 2015, 7:07 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015, 7:07 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A communications mix-up Monday led the Bergen County Freeholders to postpone action on a proposed $3-million bond issue to renovate a building at Bergen Community College.
Three freeholders who serve on the Board of School Estimate were about to discuss the measure when County Administrator Dominic Novelli said he had not seen the proposal.
There was also concern over whether adequate notice was given for the vote, which several freeholders said took them by surprise as well.
“The conclusion that we came to is that the meeting was not properly noticed,” Freeholder David Ganz said after the Board of School Estimate voted to adjourn until an unspecified date.
“You don’t want — with the dollars amounts what they are — to make a mistake,” he added.
College officials had sought approval for $3 million for renovating Ender Hall on the Paramus campus.
They also sought $1.5 million toward upgrade of information technology equipment.
College President B. Kaye Walter explained that Ender Hall started out as a temporary building many years ago.
She said there are plans to use the building for a number of new initiatives, including a pre-college program for high school students studying engineering.
At first, freeholders sought to accommodate the request, which came during a budget hearing for the college.
Ganz and Freeholder Joan Voss convened a meeting of the board of estimate, which normally includes three freeholders and two college trustees.
They even temporarily swore in Freeholder Tracy Zur to fill in for Freeholder Steve Tanelli, who was not present.
But they quickly recessed the meeting after Novelli pointed out that the administration had not approved the spending.
“Quite frankly, I’m not familiar with this request for additional funding,” he said.
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