Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
Weehawken ordered to complete new tax map by July 2016 in reval case
NJ.com, 10-Dec-15
By Steve Strunsky
A state judge has ordered Weehawken to complete a new tax map by July 2016, a necessary step in what would be the township's first revaluation in 23 years, the mayor and plaintiffs in a lawsuit confirmed.
The tax map deadline order is the latest update in a suit filed last year charging that Weehawken's failure to conduct a revaluation updating assessments on older properties while assessing new ones at market value has created an unfair tax burden on waterfront property owners.
The four named plaintiffs, who include retired New York Giants great Amani Toomer, are among 175 members of the Concerned Citizens of Weehawken, a group made up of property owners at the Bronwstones at Port Imperial, Henley on Hudson, Riva Point and Avenues waterfront developments.
"Our expert and lawyer were able to successfully challenge the arguments for not completing the revaluation," the citizens group said in a statement. "Our lawyer was able to identify to the judge that there is essentially one person working on the revaluation project and the correct resources have not been allocated to getting it completed."
"The judge informed all parties that she would be signing an order that the tax maps must be completed by July 2016," the statement added. "As part of the same order, it dictates that the appraisal company must also be hired by June 2016 such that the revaluation can be completed effective for calendar year 2017."
The judge is Mary Siobhan Brennan of New Jersey Tax Court, who had already ruled that the revaluation itself must be completed by 2017. The Tax Court administrator in Trenton, Mary Ryan, declined to comment.
Turner confirmed that Brennan imposed the tax map deadline on Tuesday.
Brennan's order followed an unusual proceeding in the case that morning, when the township sponsored a bus tour of Weehawken's residential neighborhoods and commercial districts, hoping to demonstrate the complexity of drafting a new tax map and conducting a revaluation, and the impracticality of the judge's deadlines.
For example, Turner said many condominium buildings in Weehawken are now plotted as a single property on tax maps, either because they were industrial space or apartment complexes, but they would now have to be broken down and mapped as individual properties under current state rules.
"It's very complicated," said Turner. "You have to list each condo, not just the building."
In addition, Turner said about a third of Weehawken's total area, mainly along the waterfront, had been newly developed into townhouses or condominiums where there was once vacant land.
A spokesman for the citizen's group said the township had invited the judge to take the bus tour, but she declined.
Turner, who would not say whether Brennan took the tour, said the township would do its best to comply with the deadlines.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Weehawken Attorney: Insurance ‘Paying Every Penny’ of $747k DeCosmis Settlement
Hudson County View, 7-Dec-15
By John Heinis
In light of a $747,000 settlement between Weehawken and Police Lt. Richard DeCosmis, Township Attorney Richard Venino says although it wasn’t the best case scenario, insurance is “paying every penny” in the matter.
“That’s the whole reason for the settlement was approved, that the insurance company is paying every penny of that,” Venino told Hudson County View over the phone last week.
“We have no control when the insurance company gets to that point. They were always very confident in our position, but the case went on for seven years. We’re talking three lawsuits. If any claim in the federal suit is sustained, they can be liable for the attorney’s fees on the other side. That’s a bigger risk than normal.”
“They let us know: ‘We want to settle, do you approve?’ If we say no, that shifts the risk to us. They’re the pros on that kind of stuff,” Venino added.
Hudson County View first reported on the settlement last week, which brought a conclusion to three lawsuits from DeCosmis, as well as pending disciplinary action from the police department against the lieutenant.
DeCosmis alleged that Mayor Richard Turner and the building department engaged in repeated instances of political retaliation, while the police department alleged DeCosmis abused his authority during an incident with a building inspector where both men filed police complaint against one another.
As of this writing, no other media outlet has released a copy of the settlement.
As we previously reported, DeCosmis earned $138,820 in 2014, according to public records – not including overtime – and is entitled to a 15 percent salary increase effective effective October 26, 2016.
Therefore, DeCosmis will earn $159,643 between late October 2016 and late October 2017. His retirement is effective November 1, 2017 and he is on terminal leave until then.
While it can be argued that DeCosmis’ settlement actually earned him over $1 million, given his salary, Venino said it is important to note that the settlement is the result of over seven years of litigation so a significant portion of those figures are likely going towards legal fees.
Another provision of the settlement is that DeCosmis can never work for the Township of Weehawken again.
“It’s in the best interest of the town he does not return to work here. Working here, he has already filed three lawsuits. We can’t let that trend continue, we must eliminate all potential of him continuing litigation,” Venino explained.
“It’s very difficult when people have lawsuits pending for such a long time … disciplining him became a problem. He should’ve been subject to discipline, but since he’s in a lawsuit, it’s this never-ending battle. Difficult for the police to maintain decorum and understanding in the police department.”
Venino also stated that DeCosmis was “hell bent” on filing lawsuits, even though he was in the wrong in certain situations – evidenced by him paying a fine for doing construction on a property without the proper permits.
Louis Zayas, DeCosmis’ attorney in the matter, declined to elaborate on the settlement.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Mayor Turner Takes $90K 6-month Contract with Town of West NY
14-Nov-15, NJ.com
By Laura Herzog
Since Nov. 1, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner has been working as a consultant in West New York, charged with not just mold remediation, but cutting costs, overseeing other projects, and applying for road-paving and open space funds.
Turner said the $90,000, six-month contract he's landed with the nearby town isn't a conflict of interest, and said it is aimed at saving money.
"I will save West New York more than what they're paying me. We already hit the (roughly $60,000) mark (in savings)," Turner, 65, said. "There's not a question in my mind they'll save more than what they're paying."
He said he already started working for the town this fall, without pay, offering advice on different projects to officials he knows in West New York. Turner also said he is taking a six-month unpaid leave of absence from his other job, as district director for U.S. Congressman Albio Sires (D), to take on this job.
In addition to handling mold remediation, Turner said he will oversee a fix of city hall's "major water infiltration issue," which he said will need costly renovations to repair the damage and prevent further water seepage, likely more than $100,000.
He said he is also managing requests for proposals to find an architectural firm to determine how to seal the outside of the building to prevent more water from coming in, and going out to bid to hire a contractor to fix the roof.
Though Turner called himself an "expert" who could help manage these projects in West New York, several residents said they had questions about his contract.
"The fact that we accept that as a viable reality flies in the face of (rationality)...The reality in which these people live is so skewed and so corrupt," said West New York resident Jon Evans. "Why is this man necessary?"
Turner's appointment seems like political patronage, he said: "(Local politicians) nurture each other, they owe each other, and then they give each other jobs that they're not necessarily qualified to do."
Ronald Scheurle, who recently ran against an administration-backed slate in the West New York school board elections on Nov. 3, said he plans to speak to the town about the contract.
"Turner was a capable business administrator, but I have questions to ask the mayor and the commissioners," he said.
West New York Mayor Felix Roque declined comment on Turner's role.
Turner, who has been the mayor of Weehawken for 25 years and said he is collecting an $8,000 a year salary as mayor, is retired after 25 years of public service in N.J. He noted that his service included spending 1995 to 2006 working in West New York as a business administrator when Sires was the town's mayor. Turner is currently collecting a pension of around $70,000 a year, he said.
He also volunteered as a consultant in West New York for several months when Roque was elected, he said, and Roque and several commissioners approached him this year about the new contract work.
"I work basically 24/7 in one role or another and it all gets done," Turner said. "I have become an expert in how local government works."
Despite the recent resignation of West New York's former business administrator, Turner is not acting in that role, a town spokeswoman said. Turner agreed, and added that his role will come at a cheaper cost than replacing the administrator would.
"They're saving the fringe benefits, and (my contract fee is) less than they were paying the previous administrator (at $196,000 a year)," he said. "This can be indeed more complicated and more intricate (than business administration)."
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
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