(The following story by Erin Duffy appeared on The Times website on June 18, 2010.)
HAMILTON, New Jersey — Assembly members Wayne DeAngelo and Linda Greenstein are challenging NJ Transit’s plans to spend up to $1.1 million in consulting fees.
During its monthly meeting Wednesday, the agency made plans to spend $650,000 on a law firm that could assist NJ Transit in creating a plan to privatize or lease parking spaces at different transit stops.
In April, NJ Transit also agreed to a $480,000 contract with a financial advisory firm expected to help the agency maximize profits from parking spaces.
DeAngelo, D-Hamilton, and Greenstein, D-Plainsboro, previously wrote to the executive director of NJ Transit asking the agency to disclose any plans to privatize parking.
In a letter yesterday, the duo once again asked NJ Transit for full disclosure on any privatization plans and questioned whether taxpayer money is best spent on consultant fees.
“Given the state’s economy and the fact that riders now face significantly higher fare rates, we are deeply troubled by the notion of spending well over half a million taxpayers dollars for private attorney fees,” they wrote. “We believe that a total of $1.1 million is an extraordinary amount of money to be spending on private entities at a time when the state is cutting so many programs that directly benefit New Jerseyans.”