Residents decry Carlton's performance

Manager accused of disregarding policy, By Jennifer Knocha Vernon — The Vernon Taxpayers Association took Township Manager Melinda Carlton head on at Thursday’s meeting. Tom MacClacharie, representing the association, presented the township with a 25-item list of reasons that Carlton should resign immediately. During the reading of this list, Mayor Austin Carew attempted to quiet MacClacharie, only to be shouted down by members of the public, who yelled “We want to hear this!” Among the complaints read by MacClacharie were a number of allegations regarding violations of state law. He first cited that she hired two payroll companies, first Ameripay and then ADS Payroll Services, without following necessary procedures, including getting quotes from outside vendors and obtaining council approval by resolution. The Taxpayers Association also accused her of signing multiple contracts without the knowledge or approval of the Township Council. Jessi Paladini, another member of the Taxpayers Association, also addressed one of the other allegations of the Taxpayer’s Association — that Carlton signed and executed a contract with Potters and Della Pietra LLC, a Fairfield law firm, to investigate a town councilman, without approval. Mayor Austin Carew said that he remembers discussing the contract, but couldn’t remember when, while attorney Michael Witt commented that it had been discussed in an executive session late last year. But Paladini said she could find no record of a resolution approving the contract, which had a maximum expenditure of $10,000. “The repercussions of the manager using $10,000 to investigate a councilman is outrageous,” Paladini commented. “It is inappropriate for the manager to sign the contract. The law says that the manager cannot spend money without public authorization.” Money, money, money Money was the root of several other reasons on the list. The Taxpayers Association claims that the township manager has been signing all purchase orders, even when the township had a CFO to sign them. They also claim that the manager failed to propose a temporary budget within the first 30 days of 2009, which is a state regulation, as well that she failed to provide an emergency temporary appropriation budget, which is required 30 days after the original temporary budget. There were several other budget-related claims, such as failing to amend the budget to account for transfers, failing to budget for deferred pension payments and not budgeting for the annual reimbursements to planned communities. Carlton didn’t comment on the accusations, and when asked what was going to be done about them, Mayor Carew replied, “There is a process in her contract where she is evaluated on a semi-annual basis, and that is what has been done.”