Rutherford Borough
Rutherford Borough certified 22,607.94 of promotional merchandise, including 7,396.19 of dog bag holders, to the State as three police prevention programs, and did it again in FY2026.
Published 10/03/2026 · Updated 10/04/2026
TLDR
- Rutherford told the State it spent 22,607.94 in FY2025 on three police prevention programs, one of them L.E.A.D. education for 6th grade students.
- Every dollar of the 22,607.94 went to Kaeser and Blair for promotional merchandise. Beach balls, selfie lights, bottle openers, temporary tattoos, a waterproof speaker, stadium cups.
- The largest single line is 7,396.19 for 250 dog bag holders.
- The figure ties to the cent. No program payment appears in the books.
- In FY2026 the L.E.A.D. program is certified at 211.86. That is the price of the baseball stress relievers.
- National Night Out is certified at 2,375.00 in FY2026. That is promo items, stadium cups and printed flyer items from the same vendor.
- The FY2026 total of 9,255.55 ties to the books to the cent.
- The 6,282.64 order the FY2026 report counted as encumbered was paid on 07/13/2026. It bought footballs, baseballs, notebooks, pens and a 1,740.00 line printed Police SUV. No report covers that payment yet.
- The FY2024 report says settlement funds were used that year. It certifies 0.00 spent. The books show nothing spent.
Summary
Rutherford Borough, Bergen County, reported receiving 95,807.33 in opioid settlement money through 06/30/2026. The money must go to the abatement uses the national settlements list, or to documented evidence-based programs that address the epidemic. It must add to local spending, not replace it.
The Borough produced an audit trail for its three settlement accounts, G-02-40-213-953, G-02-40-213-954 and G-02-40-213-955, printed 06/03/2026, and an update printed 10/02/2026. Together they show 38,146.13 paid from 01/01/2022 to 10/02/2026 and nothing open. The first payment is dated 11/12/2024.
The FY2025 report certifies the merchandise as prevention programs. Read the Borough's findings.
What the Borough told the State
| Report | Certified expended | Certified encumbered | Unspent on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 0.00 | ||
| FY2024 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 57,903.90 |
| FY2025 | 22,607.94 | 2,000.00 | 55,886.95 |
| FY2026 | 9,255.55 | 6,282.64 | 57,661.20 |
The FY2023 report says the program was yet to be determined. The FY2024 report certifies nothing spent and says the Borough funded no program. Its answer to question 11 still says funds used during the 2024 fiscal year went to community events, an anti-drug slogan and associated materials, and L.E.A.D. education. The audit trail runs from 01/01/2022 and shows no payment before 11/12/2024. Said settlement funds were used in a year it spent none.
What the books show for FY2025
The FY2025 report covers 07/01/2024 to 06/30/2025. It certifies 22,607.94 expended under three programs of the Rutherford Police Department, each filed as Primary Prevention, Education, and Training.
| Program | Certified |
|---|---|
| Opioid Prevention through Community Engagement | 3,580.09 |
| L.E.A.D. | 3,730.63 |
| National Night Out | 15,297.22 |
| Total | 22,607.94 |
The report describes L.E.A.D. as drug awareness and education for 6th grade students and gives its launch date as 01/01/2015. It describes National Night Out as the Police Department's largest community event, where it hands out anti-drug materials.
The ledger shows three checks in the same period, all to Kaeser and Blair.
| Check | Date | Order | What the ledger lists | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21516 | 11/12/2024 | 24-01357 | National Night Out promo items, LED selfie lights, bottle openers, beach balls, temporary tattoos, stickers, a waterproof speaker, 150 eco journals, a photo prop, stadium cups | 7,821.57 |
| 21984 | 01/27/2025 | 24-02117 | Eco journals with pen, setup fee, freight | 1,535.95 |
| 22815 | 06/09/2025 | 25-00262 | Drug prevention promo items | 5,854.23 |
| 22815 | 06/09/2025 | 25-00262 | Dog bag holders, 250 | 7,396.19 |
| Paid in the period | 22,607.94 |
The certified figure equals the payments to the cent. No payment to a school, an instructor, a curriculum or a provider appears. The three program amounts do not equal any set of the fifteen ledger lines. The report split one vendor's merchandise across three program names. Certified promotional giveaways as prevention programs.
The dog bag holders are the largest single line in the audit trail. None of the program descriptions mentions them. No prevention program using them is documented. The 10/02/2026 update still shows the account that paid them fully expended, with no credit or reversal. Paid 7,396.19 for 250 dog bag holders.
The same report certifies 2,000.00 encumbered for a speaker at Rutherford High School. Two Hill Speaks orders for 1,500.00 and 500.00 were open at year end and paid on 07/14/2025. That figure is accurate.
FY2026
The State published the Borough's FY2026 report on 10/01/2026. It covers 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026. It certifies 9,255.55 spent and 6,282.64 encumbered.
| Program | Certified | What the ledger shows |
|---|---|---|
| NJ Elks Peer Leadership Conference | 1,540.00 | Five lines to the NJ State Elks Association, four of them student fees, check 24684, 03/11/2026 |
| Speaker for Rutherford High School Seniors | 4,000.00 | 2,000.00 paid 07/14/2025 and 2,000.00 paid 06/08/2026 |
| Opioid Prevention through Community Engagement | 1,128.69 | Color books and crayons |
| L.E.A.D. | 211.86 | Baseball stress relievers |
| National Night Out | 2,375.00 | National Night Out promo items, stadium cups and items printed 9 inch Flyer |
The three merchandise figures come from one Kaeser and Blair order, 25-01340, paid by check 23256 on 08/25/2025. Each program figure equals a set of lines on that order to the cent. The report again certifies merchandise as police prevention programs.
The update for L.E.A.D. reports 225 participants and 10 education sessions for grammar school students. The only spending behind it is 211.86 of baseball stress relievers. Certified 211.86 of stress baseballs as L.E.A.D. education.
The update for National Night Out reports no education sessions and no services. The 2,375.00 behind it is promo items for 1,093.00, stadium cups for 578.00 and items printed 9 inch Flyer for 704.00. Certified 2,375.00 of giveaways as a prevention program.
The 1,128.69 certified for Opioid Prevention through Community Engagement bought color books and crayons. The record does not show what the books say, so this project counts them as unverified.
The audit trail printed 06/03/2026 showed the second Hill Speaks order, 2,000.00 for a senior assembly, as received and unpaid. The update printed 10/02/2026 shows check 25192 paid it on 06/08/2026. With it, the year's payments come to 9,255.55, the certified figure to the cent.
The speaker and the Elks conference come to 5,540.00 paid in FY2026. The orders name a guest speaker, a senior assembly and conference fees. No contract, invoice or course material in the record shows what either taught, so this project counts both as unverified.
After the FY2026 report
The encumbered figure, 6,282.64, equals Kaeser and Blair order 26-00460 of 03/09/2026 to the cent. It was still open at 06/30/2026. Check 25384 paid it on 07/13/2026. That falls in FY2027, which no report covers yet. The order bought white vinyl footballs, baseballs, eco notebooks, glass pens, setup charges and freight, and a 1,740.00 line printed Police SUV with a 30.00 repeat setup charge. No evidence-based prevention program using the merchandise is documented, and giveaway merchandise is not among the uses Exhibit E lists. Paid 6,282.64 for giveaway footballs, notebooks and pens.
The update shows no other activity on the three accounts from 05/01/2026 to 10/02/2026. On 10/02/2026 the three lines showed an unexpended balance of 35,288.87.
The Borough also printed a vendor report for Kaeser and Blair on 10/02/2026. It lists only orders first encumbered from 01/01/2025 and paid from 01/01/2026. Besides order 26-00460, it shows two orders charged to account T-03-56-850-865, Police Forfeited Funds, Federal Justice. Order 25-02048 bought LED pumpkins, with setup and freight, for 1,447.25, paid 02/25/2026. Order 26-01772, entered 09/08/2026, is for items printed Pedova Ultra Hyde Zippered, with setup and freight, for 1,795.40, still open on 10/02/2026. The report does not reach back before 2025, so it does not show whether the Borough paid this vendor from its own accounts before November 2024, when the settlement accounts first paid it.
How this project classifies spending is set out in the methodology and the rubric. Corrections follow the corrections policy.