I f East Brunswick Township Council members or the mayor want to head to the annual New Jersey League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City, they are going to have to pick up their own tab.

The council passed a resolution in a 4-1 vote during its Jan. 23 meeting that will require elected officials to pay their own way if they wish to attend workshops, classes and conventions, the most popular being the annual League of Municipalities events in Atlantic City. Councilwoman Nancy Pinkin cast the lone dissenting vote .

Given the state of the economy and the township government’s efforts to cut spending and provide tax relief for residents, council President Michael Hughes said it is not right to have the taxpayers shoulder the burden for elected officials to attend these events.

“When we are paid a stipend, I think it’s hard to justify, regardless of whatever economic conditions may exist, these costs being borne by the taxpayer,” Hughes said in an interview with the Sentinel. “This is a small but symbolic gesture of our commitment to protecting the integrity of taxpayer funds.” Councilwoman Camille Ferraro agreed with the move, stating that the stipends they receive — $10,000 per year for council members and $20,000 for the mayor — should be used for training, seminars or other costs that they incur in serving the township.

“The money that is given should pay for our expenses and it shouldn’t be [above that],” Ferraro said. “And therefore, that’s what I believe our salaries are basically based upon, is the cost of transporting, the time that we spend researching or making photocopies, and whatever else we do with the time.”

Pinkin, however, said she disagreed with the tone of the resolution and that it implies that the township is saying, “We are not favoring seminars, workshops and conventions.” She said that conventions like the League of Municipalities provide important information that can really help elected officials in understanding some of the issues they may face.

“The purpose of going to these seminars, workshops and conventions is to learn about the nuances about the latest court cases, the latest planning law, of the storm-water drainage issues, all of the complex issues that are facing any township in running its course of business,” she said.

Pinkin also said she had an issue with the resolution being placed on the Township Council’s consent agenda without any sort of prior discussion.

“We shouldn’t have resolutions that haven’t been considered before on the consent agenda,” Pinkin said. “We are supposed to be having a discussion, and then items should be brought to the next meeting for action.”

But Hughes said the resolution states that “the mayor and council are encouraged to continue attending seminars, conventions and the like for the benefit of the township, and to pay the costs of these kinds of events from their township stipends.”

Hughes also said that he contacted council members prior to the meeting, and they felt that the resolution should be on the consent agenda.

“We work by majority rule,” Hughes said after the meeting. “Four of the members on the council felt they had the information needed to make the decision, and we acted.”

While officials did not mention the exact costs of attending such events, participation in the League of Municipalities conference, according to its website, requires an onsite registration fee of $60 for league member officials and $120 for others. Once an attendee pays the conference registration fee, he or she may attend any of the league conference educational sessions at no additional cost.

Contact Chris Zawistowski at czawistowski@gmnews.com.