Neighbors for Open Government
How your money is spent plays a critical role in maintaining an open and transparent government. The Board of Supervisors, or BOS, must approve the payment of bills. But it often neglects presenting the details to the public.
While the current and past Bills Lists are available on the township website, I challenge you to find them. It would be much easier if there were a direct link to the list on the BOS meeting agenda.
For example, the 22 July 2026 meeting agenda includes:
“Consider payment of the July 22, 2026 bills in the amount of $514,773.49...”
This item is included within the notorious Consent Agenda, which I have criticized in the past. Read: The Consent Agenda – Pros & Cons .
It would be an easy matter to include a link to the Bills List alongside this agenda item, which is more easily found on the township website. Do you know how to find it?
What the July Bills List Shows
But I digress. Take a look at my AI analysis of the 22 July 2026 Bills List .
While there are many interesting items on this list, particular attention should be paid to a couple of items that the public should know about.
1. Barry Isett & Associates: $79,237.30
The Barry Isett & Associates Inc. bill of $79,237.30 for June 2026 brings the firm’s total billings for the year to $321,850.60.
At this rate, Barry Isett & Associates billings could total approximately $551,743.89 for the year—well above the $360,000 budgeted for this service in 2026.
That does not necessarily mean anything improper has occurred. However, the public should know about it. Unfortunately, there is generally little or no public discussion regarding payment of bills, especially when the item is tucked away in the Consent Agenda.
2. Questions About the Administration Building Boiler Replacement
The Bills List also contains what may appear to be duplicate bills for the Administration Building boiler replacement .
They are not exactly duplicates. A bill of $25,000 for boiler replacement was approved by the BOS in February. The 22 July Bills List includes another bill of $33,500 for the same project. WHAT UP WITH THAT???
I am not a financial expert, but this type of repeated billing deserves an explanation. Will any supervisor ask for one? That remains to be seen.
What Should “NOGers” Do?
Email the supervisors before tonight’s meeting and ask that these bills be explained publicly.
You can find their email addresses here .
Better yet, attend the meeting and make a public comment for the record when this item comes up during the Consent Agenda.
The meeting starts at 7:00 PM. Hope to see you there!
P.S. Read this comprehensive overview for a guide to helping advocates and public officials improve the availability of public information.
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