Board of Health's $11.8 million Capital Spending Not Outlined in Budget

Ocean County’s freeholders will be reviewing the Board of Health budget before they certify it, after learning that $11.8 million in capital spending is not included in the spending plan.

Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari asked Administrator Carl W. Block to look into a claim by his Democratic rival, Michele Rosen of Waretown, that the Board of Health budget was “not done appropriately.’’

Rosen, who confronted the Board of Health early Wednesday about the capital spending omission, said state law requires that board to present the freeholders with a spending plan “in full detail.’’

She said board members followed the suggestion of Sen. Robert Singer, who is one of them, to include the capital spending in future budgets. They approved the current budget without any reference to capital spending, including funds to renovate the building the Health Department rents from the county on Sunset Avenue in Toms River.

Surplus is used to fund those projects, Singer explained.

Rosen urged the freeholders to refuse to certify the budget until it is “done properly this year.’’

Freeholder Gerry P. Little, the liaison to the Board of Health, tried to ask county attorney Jack Sahradnik if the Board did everything appropriately.

Rosen objected, claiming a conflict of interest because Sahradnik is also the Board of Health attorney, and took part in the morning discussions about the budget.

Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. promised the board will review the health department budget as part of its “due diligence’’ before any action is taken.

Rosen said past Board of Health budgets have also omitted capital spending accounting, and urged an end to the practice.