Jersey City considers merging incinerator authority, public works

Monday, November 8, 2010

The Jersey City administration and City Council can agree on one thing – there’s a lot of duplication between the Jersey City Incinerator Authority and Department of Public Works.

But what everyone can’t agree on is how to merge the agencies.

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Healy has proposed that JCIA Executive Director Oren Dabney remain in charge of the agency and that DPW Director Rodney Hadley become deputy director. He urged council members to support the merger so the changes could go into affect by the start of the year.

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But Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop argued that Public Works should take over the JCIA, which would require the department to report to the City Council and administration and be accountable to tax payers.

“There’s an easy way to do it and there’s a right way to do it that is good for the longtime health of the city,” Fulop said. “The proper thing to do is eliminate the autonomous agency.”

Fulop sparked a debate when he asked how the 80 employees would be eliminated and accused the administration of keeping on political supporters.

“They’re going to pick which employees they like,” he said. “It’s going to be the people who campaign, it’s going to be the politics.”

Read the complete article on NJ.com