We have Found the Poster Boy For Shared Services

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, speaking of shared services, according to North Jersey Media , Roy Riggitano, chief financial officer for Rochelle Park, a small town in Bergen county which you can drive thru in the length of a sneeze ,earned at least $347,970 last year working for 6 municipalities.

Well technically its not a shared service ,it’s a shared employee.

The “shared services” debate is all the rage in NJ Municipal finance nowadays , the augment has several often overlooked flaws. First taxpayers do not save money by creating larger and more distant beaucraces. Second ,the government has even less accountability  and third I know this is hard to believe but services actually decline in quality.

The enterprising Riggitano works for Rochelle Park as CFO, he’s also CFO for Palisades Park. He works for Elmwood Park, as the tax collector, think of the irony. He’s the CFO of Garfield. He is also a purchasing agent for Elmwood Park. And a fire inspector in Fairview and Cliffside Park.

While Riggitano’s taxpayer funded salary and benefits have come under scrutiny ,we think it is better to focus on three main issues :

1) Who hired this guy?

2) Are all these jobs so easy he can handle all 6 ?

3) Is not the point of shared services taxpayers saving money?

North Jersey again reported that his multiple jobs do not constitute a record in New Jersey. A 2019 analysis of public employee data by the USA Today Network New Jersey found one tax assessor, George Reggo, had jobs in nine towns, earning a total of $221,046.

Here’s where Riggitano is on the public payroll:

Elmwood Park CFO, purchasing agent and tax collector: $160,406
Garfield CFO: $62,816
Palisades Park CFO, purchasing agent: $60,971
Rochelle Park CFO: $41,008
Cliffside Park fire inspector: $12,000
Fairview fire inspector: $10,768

Riggitano earns pension credits for all but one of these jobs.