Councilman George Muschal said council is under pressure to approve the city's budget
TRENTON -- A Trenton councilman is accusing the administration of pressuring council members to approve what he says is a "questionable and padded budget."
Councilman George Muschal on Wednesday fired off an email to Chief of Staff Francis Blanco after learning about a meeting that Business Administrator Terry McEwen supposedly called with the city's directors. The councilman said they were told to notify their employees to start applying pressure on City Council and attend next week's meetings when the budget will be up for a vote.
"If any council member starts to receive any damage to their property, intimidating phone calls and/or threats, it will be followed up with you," Muschal wrote. "This administration has overstepped their bounds with the continuing attempts to intimidate the council members when they do not agree with the administration."
McEwen said there was no directors' meeting and called the allegations of intimidation "completely false." He did, however, meet with union leaders on Wednesday to discuss payroll, longevity, retroactive and incremental pay, the status of the budget and the impact on upcoming payrolls should the budget not pass.
PLUS: Missed red flags hinted at payroll problems
Earlier this month, council rejected a resolution that would have authorized $3.5 million in emergency appropriations for April, including salaries and wages.
"That was not approved so we don't have any appropriations after the end of this quarter," McEwen said. "My fiduciary responsibility is to make the unions aware of where we are."
The city in late October proposed a $216.4 million budget, which has been in council's hands ever since. There are only a few months left before the fiscal year ends June 30.
McEwen said the budget committee held a series of hearings and made an additional $8 million in cuts.
"That demonstrates their involvement in the budget process," he said.
But Muschal still had lingering questions and concerns about budget items. He, Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson and Council President Zachary Chester met with aide Colin Cherry and budget officer Joan Garrett on Tuesday to review and amend "questionable line items."
"It didn't last long because the resolution (to approve the budget) was already made up," Muschal said.
He said the departmental budgets saw increases even with the little revenue that is coming in and the heavy reliance on property taxes and transitional aid from the state.
"If residents didn't pay their taxes, the city would fold like a deck of cards," he said.
One of the items he took issue with was $16,000 in the mayor's budget for two new aides, but his questions couldn't be answered.
"You can't hire someone for $8,000," he said. "It's basically a sludge fund for him to do what he wants with it."
The mayor's office has two aides -- city spokesman Michael Walker and Andrew Bobbitt. McEwen said there is money for additional staff, but the positions have been kept vacant.
If the budget fails to pass next Thursday, McEwen said council would have to approve a temporary budget to cover appropriations beyond March 31.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.