Franklin Lakes
- 01Certified a florist wreath as informational signage190.00
- 02Counted the same naloxone cabinets in two reports2,969.88
- 03Overstated FY2026 receipts by 3,599.803,599.80
- 04Paid 33,000.00 for school events the Alliance used to fund33,000.00
What the reports say,
and what the books show.
Franklin Lakes has received $60,495.70 in opioid settlement funds and spent $44,619.87 of it. Its largest single year difference between the report and the books is $2,969.88.
The money, four ways.
Four figures describe the same settlement money. Each one comes from a different document.
Certified against the books,
every report year.
Every year this jurisdiction has filed, and the year it has not. The match on each row is computed from the rows, not judged.
filed
- Program name
- Supporting teens in reducing their stress (and ours)
- Recipient
- Matt Bellace PH.D.
- Amount expended
- $5,000.00
- Received to date
- $9,609.24
filed
- Program name
- Living Lessons
- Recipient
- Franklin Ave Middle School
- Recipient category
- Schools, Colleges, Universities
- Programs listed
- 2
- Amount expended
- $12,769.88
- Unspent on hand
- $16,617.09
- Received to date
- $34,386.97
filed
- Program name
- Black Poster Project
- Recipient
- Alumni in Recovery
- Recipient category
- Community Based Organizations/Non-Governmental Organizations
- Programs listed
- 4
- Amount expended
- $11,629.87
- Unspent on hand
- $28,986.76
- Received to date
- $51,402.20
filed
- Program name
- (REACH) REducing Addiction through Care and Help Committee
- Recipient
- REACH Committee
- Recipient category
- Community Based Organizations/Non-Governmental Organizations
- Programs listed
- 3
- Amount expended
- $18,190.00
- Unspent on hand
- $23,500.14
- Received to date
- $60,495.70
5 findings.
Every finding is verified to the documents in its own row. An inference is labelled as one.
Red with the marker: a certified figure the books contradict.
The FY2026 report lists a new program, (REACH) REducing Addiction through Care and Help Committee, recipient REACH Committee, funded and launched 05/25/2026, at 190.00 funded and 190.00 spent in the current reporting year, 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026 (pp4 to 6).
It gives the intended impact as "Informational signage for the REACH Committee", the primary category as Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention, the Schedule B strategy as Connections to Care and the number served as 100. Question 6 certifies 18,190.00 spent, the 18,000.00 of school donations paid in the year plus this 190.00 (p1). The books show one 190.00 charge. Colony Florist, Inc. purchase order 26-02002, described REACH VETERAN'S PLAZA, was first encumbered on 07/14/2026 and paid by check 19765 on 07/22/2026. The Borough's own REACH Opioid Funds worksheet lists it as "Colony Florist REACH wreath", dated 5/25/2026. A florist's wreath is not signage. No purchase order for it was on the books on 06/30/2026, and the money left the account on 07/22/2026, 22 days after the FY2026 period closed. No harm reduction or connections to care program using the wreath is documented, and a florist's wreath is not among the uses Exhibit E lists.
false-characterization · 3 documents · 10/03/2026The FY2024 report certifies 12,769.88 expended between 07/01/2023 and 06/30/2024 (p1).
That is Living Lessons at 9,800.00 plus Nalaxone Cabinets at 2,969.88 (pp2 to 5). The cabinet block gives a funding date of 06/30/2024 and says nine Narcan cabinets have been installed throughout town. The account paid 9,800.00 in that period, check 13603 on 05/08/2024. The cabinets are Mountainside Medical Equipment purchase order 24-02138, three lines of 1,919.94, 959.97 and 89.97, first encumbered on 07/23/2024 and paid by check 14534 on 08/21/2024, after the period closed. No cabinet order existed on 06/30/2024. The FY2025 report then certifies the cabinets again, as a 3,289.87 update with the note "Forgot to report the amount" (p6), and its 11,629.87 total includes them. The 3,289.87 is purchase order 24-02138 plus purchase order 24-02749, check 14965 for 319.99 on 10/16/2024. Through 06/30/2025 the FY2023, FY2024 and FY2025 reports certify 29,399.75 spent. The account paid 26,429.87. The 2,969.88 difference is the one cabinet order, counted in both years.
misreported-expenditure · 5 documents · 10/03/2026The FY2026 report certifies 9,093.50 received between 07/01/2025 and 06/30/2026 (p1, question 1).
The Borough's REACH Opioid Funds worksheet lists six receipts in that period. They are 1,903.24, 1,076.65 and 1,034.01 on 07/16/2025, 75.67 on 10/31/2025, 876.15 on 04/30/2026 and 527.98 on 06/16/2026, a total of 5,493.70. The certified figure is 3,599.80 higher. The worksheet carries two receipts of exactly 3,599.80, both outside the period. National Opioid Settlements on 05/12/2025 falls in FY2025, and the FY2025 report's 17,015.23 received cannot be reached without it. Distributor Payment 6 on 07/24/2026 falls in FY2027. The record does not say which one the report counted. Either way, 3,599.80 of the certified figure was not received in FY2026. The report's cumulative figure, 60,495.70 (question 3), is the FY2025 report's 51,402.20 plus the 9,093.50, so it carries the same excess.
misreported-receipts · 3 documents · 10/03/2026The Borough's vendor reports, printed 09/11/2026 for 01/01/2018 to 09/11/2026, show three school costs its own Municipal Alliance accounts carried before the settlement account took them over.
Ramapo High School Project Graduation got 2,000.00 from the current-fund Municipal Alliance Expenses line for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 graduations, checks 10879 on 04/19/2023, 13783 on 05/22/2024 and 16074 on 03/05/2025. The same 2,000.00 for the 2026 graduation came from the settlement account, check 17852 on 11/07/2025. The Indian Hills Project Graduation donation was 1,000.00 from Municipal Alliance Expenses in 2023, check 10762 on 04/05/2023. The settlement account paid the IHHS PTSO 1,000.00 for Project Graduation, check 18283 on 12/31/2025. The Franklin Avenue Middle School Living Lessons day in 2022 drew 7,500.00 from Municipal Alliance accounts, checks 8458 and 1399 on 06/14/2022, and 2,500.00 from the Mayors Wellness Campaign trust. For the 2024 and 2026 events the Municipal Alliance paid the school nothing. The settlement account paid 15,000.00 each time, checks 13603 on 05/08/2024 and 14703 on 09/18/2024 for 2024 and check 18965 on 04/08/2026 for 2026, while the Mayors Wellness trust kept paying 2,500.00. The FY2024 report certifies Living Lessons as a program funded and launched 05/15/2024 (p3). The FY2026 report certifies Project Graduation as a new program and says the spending was decided by the REACH Committee "which was currently the Municipal Alliance" (p2). The certified program figures, 9,800.00, 5,200.00, 3,000.00 and 15,000.00, equal the five settlement payments to the cent. Settlement money paid costs the Borough's own Municipal Alliance budget carried in the years before, and at Living Lessons it also paid 7,500.00 more per event. The produced records do not show the 2024 or 2025 Indian Hills donations or whether the Municipal Alliance appropriation changed.
supplantation · 7 documents · 10/03/2026The FY2023 report certifies 5,000.00 expended as of 06/30/2023 for one program, a talk for teens and parents by Matt Bellace on stress and healthy alternatives to substance use, funded 04/05/23 and 05/03/23 and launched 05/15/23, with 1,100 people seen (pp1 to 3).
The account paid Matt Bellace, Presentations, LLC 2,500.00 by check 10771 on 04/05/2023 and 2,500.00 by check 10972 on 05/03/2023, the deposit and final payment for the 05/15/2023 talk. The report matches the books to the cent and to the day.
accurate-certification · 3 documents · 10/03/2026Patterns this jurisdiction appears in: Funding-source substitution
The ledger, as printed.
Account G-02-41-766-000, as printed from the jurisdiction's own accounting system. Classification follows the Exhibit E gates.
| Date | Check | PO | Payee and description | Amount | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/03/2022 | Add Acct | 2,742.86 | Receipt | ||
| 11/22/2022 | Change to Acct | 2,868.64 | Receipt | ||
| 01/01/2023 | Change to Acct | 575.56 | Receipt | ||
| 01/01/2023 | Change to Acct | 3,422.18 | Receipt | ||
| 04/05/2023 | 10771 | 23-00796 | MATT BELLACE · DEPOSIT FOR SPEAKER 5/15/23 | 2,500.00 | Paid · Unverified |
| 05/03/2023 | 10972 | 23-01051 | MATT BELLACE · FINAL PAYMENT 5/15/23-SPEAKER | 2,500.00 | Paid · Unverified |
| 07/06/2023 | Change to Acct | 1,872.85 | Receipt | ||
| 08/15/2023 | Change to Acct | 2,658.20 | Receipt | ||
| 11/21/2023 | Change to Acct | 677.13 | Receipt | ||
| 04/18/2024 | Walmart 1 | 3,505.95 | Receipt | ||
| 04/18/2024 | Walgreens 2 | 892.47 | Receipt | ||
| 04/18/2024 | CVS 1 | 1,168.50 | Receipt | ||
| 04/18/2024 | Allergan 1 | 1,084.83 | Receipt | ||
| 04/18/2024 | Teva | 970.73 | Receipt | ||
| 04/18/2024 | Walmart 2 | 5,952.56 | Receipt | ||
| 04/18/2024 | Walgreens 1 | 1,494.81 | Receipt | ||
| 04/30/2024 | Cencora and Cardinal Health | 1,530.32 | Receipt | ||
| 05/08/2024 | 13603 | 24-01146 | FRANKLIN AVE MIDDLE SCHOOL · DONATION-LIVING LESSONS 5/15 | 9,800.00 | Paid · Non-conforming |
| 06/17/2024 | Janssen Payment 4 | 2,969.38 | Receipt | ||
| 07/31/2024 | Distributor Payment 4 | 3,599.80 | Receipt | ||
| 08/01/2024 | CVS Payment 2 | 922.46 | Receipt | ||
| 08/01/2024 | Teva Payment 2 | 1,062.52 | Receipt | ||
| 08/01/2024 | Allergan Payment 2 | 1,085.58 | Receipt | ||
| 08/21/2024 | 14534 | 24-02138 | MOUNTAINSIDE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT · MISC 3 POLE MNT KIT CABINET | 89.97 | Paid · Conforming |
| 08/21/2024 | 14534 | 24-02138 | MOUNTAINSIDE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT · EN9418 NON-LOCKING MET CABINET | 1,919.94 | Paid · Conforming |
| 08/21/2024 | 14534 | 24-02138 | MOUNTAINSIDE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT · EN9543 OUTDOOR STORAGE CABINET | 959.97 | Paid · Conforming |
| 09/11/2024 | McKinsey | 1,367.96 | Receipt | ||
| 09/18/2024 | 14703 | 24-02690 | FRANKLIN AVE MIDDLE SCHOOL · BAL DUE-LIVING LESSONS | 5,200.00 | Paid · Non-conforming |
| 10/10/2024 | Endo Public Opioid Trust Abatement Fund | 1,185.03 | Receipt | ||
| 10/16/2024 | 14965 | 24-02749 | MOUNTAINSIDE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT · EN9543 OUTDOOR STORAGE CABINET | 319.99 | Paid · Conforming |
| 11/08/2024 | 15066 | 24-03145 | CHILDREN'S AID AND FAMILY SERVICES · CONFERENCE ATTENDEES-2 | 140.00 | Paid · Conforming |
| 04/02/2025 | 16242 | 25-00914 | BLACK POSTER PROJECT · DISPLAY BLK POSTER PROJ-RAMAPO | 1,500.00 | Paid · Conforming |
| 04/02/2025 | 16242 | 25-00913 | BLACK POSTER PROJECT · DISPLAY BLK POSTER PROJ-IHHS | 1,500.00 | Paid · Conforming |
| 04/02/2025 | Walgreens | 893.34 | Receipt | ||
| 04/11/2025 | Janssen Payment | 3,299.27 | Receipt | ||
| 05/12/2025 | National Opioid Settlements | 3,599.80 | Receipt | ||
| 07/16/2025 | Teva Payment 3 | 1,034.01 | Receipt | ||
| 07/16/2025 | CVS Payment 3 | 1,903.24 | Receipt | ||
| 07/16/2025 | Allergan Payment 3 | 1,076.65 | Receipt | ||
| 10/31/2025 | Walmart Payment 3 | 75.67 | Receipt | ||
| 11/07/2025 | 17852 | 25-03093 | RAMAPO HIGH SCHOOL · RAMAPO PROJ GRAD DONATION 2026 | 2,000.00 | Paid · Non-conforming |
| 12/31/2025 | 18283 | 25-03654 | IHHS PTSO · PROJECT GRADUATION DONATION | 1,000.00 | Paid · Non-conforming |
| 04/08/2026 | 18965 | 26-00944 | FRANKLIN AVE MIDDLE SCHOOL · LIVING LESSONS DONATION 2026 | 15,000.00 | Paid · Non-conforming |
| 04/30/2026 | Walgreens Payment Number 4 | 876.15 | Receipt | ||
| 06/16/2026 | Browngreer PLC | 527.98 | Receipt | ||
| 07/22/2026 | 19765 | 26-02002 | COLONY FLORIST, INC. · REACH VETERAN'S PLAZA | 190.00 | Paid · Non-conforming |
| 07/24/2026 | CVS Payment 4 | 1,903.24 | Receipt | ||
| 07/24/2026 | Allergan Payment 4 | 1,076.65 | Receipt | ||
| 07/24/2026 | Distributor Payment 6 - Nationa | 3,599.80 | Receipt | ||
| 07/24/2026 | Teva Payment 4 | 1,044.09 | Receipt | ||
| Total paid | 44,619.87 | ||||
| Conforming abatement spending | 6,429.87 |
Vendors, and what paid them before.
What fund carried each payee before the opioid account, and how large the opioid slice is against the whole relationship. Bars share one scale.
Full width is $30,000.00, the largest payee total. Solid is the opioid account. Hatched is every other fund.
All documents are public records produced by the jurisdiction. Titles are the documents' own.
No dated event is published for this jurisdiction yet.
No correction received from this jurisdiction. If a figure on this page is wrong, send the record that shows it. The response is published here word for word.
Correct the recordCan opioid settlement money be spent on police cars or license plate readers?
No. Exhibit E of the national settlement lists the approved uses: treatment, recovery, prevention, harm reduction and related supports. Vehicles and surveillance hardware are not among the uses it lists, and state law bars using the funds to replace money a town would otherwise have spent.The approved uses
What did Franklin Lakes tell the State it spent the money on?
It certified 10 programs to the Department of Human Services. Each program, its recipient and its amount are reproduced above, beside the payments in the account.See the reports
How was this grade computed?
By code, from a published rubric: reporting integrity 50 percent, spending conformity 40 percent, transparency 10 percent, with hard caps for a certified program that has no payee in the books, for an uncertified transfer out, and for a records refusal.The rubric
Articles about this town
Franklin Lakes Borough
Franklin Lakes certified a 190.00 florist wreath to the State as informational signage, counted one naloxone cabinet order in two annual reports, and paid 33,000.00 from its settlement account for school events its Municipal Alliance budget used to fund.