Malta Councilor has awarded a tender-free contract with Saratoga County
MATLA – A city councilor and former board member of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership was awarded $ 7,000 a month, a no-bid contract with the Partnership, the county’s branch of economic development.
As part of the contract, details of which were obtained from the county through a Freedom of Information request, Dunn receives his base monthly fee, a total of $ 42,000 for six months, through March. After that, the contract is reviewed.
He will also receive reimbursement of expenses, including mileage, incurred. Any cost above $ 500 requires prior approval.
When he was reached Monday, Dunn said he could not talk about the county contract.
“Every formal comment has to come from the county,” Dunn said. “I’m not allowed to speak on behalf of the county … I don’t usually speak on my business record.”
He also said he was not on the board when the contract was awarded. However, the Republican was on the board, chaired by the Comptroller of Wilton Maria Moran, when the board meeting began. The minutes show that the board has chosen to enter into an executive session “to discuss contract negotiation,” a vote which Dunn abstained from.
When the board, which also included County Board of Supervisors Todd Kusnierz and County Administrator Steve Bulger, stepped down from the executive session, show the minutes of the meeting, Dunn announced the his resignation at 4:55 p.m.
The next board’s action was to enter into a contract with Dunn.
Kusnierz texted the Times Union that Dunn “was not a board member when he was unanimously appointed by the board.”
He did not answer a follow-up question about Dunn’s resignation immediately before the contract was awarded. County spokeswoman Christine Rush said the Partnership is not a county agency and that all questions about their activities should be directed to Chair Moran.
Moran did not return a call from the Times Union for comment.
A person familiar with the contract, who asked not to be identified, said the county had not issued an offer for the service. The person said that the Partnership currently has no staff and Dunn’s contract will require him to oversee and manage the day-to-day activities of the Partnership along with outreach, marketing, involvement, strategic development and activities. of new programs.
Former Milton Town Supervisor Benny Zlotnick said he was on the Partnership board at the time and explained that because the entity had no staff, board members looked at Dunn.
“I’m sure Tim is doing a good job, but the way the board is set up would go away anyway,” said Zlotnick, who voted yes to the contract. “The way things are on the board now, the board can do whatever it wants with the membership. It’s kind of scary. It’s a Republican club.”
The Partnership was established in 2015 by county officials following a long-running dispute with the leaders of the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation. The county withdrew the SEDC from funding and financially supported the Partnership, where elected county officials and business leaders sit on the board. By 2020, the Partnership was funded between $ 750,000 and $ 775,000 per year. SEDC survived and has since seen some funding restored.
Meanwhile, the Partnership, by law, is entitled to half the county bed tax. In 2021, when the bed tax fell due to the pandemic, the Partnership was awarded $ 450,000. In the county’s proposed budget for 2022, the Partnership is expected to receive $ 350,000.