Ogdensburg authority board passes on changing free bridge crossing policy

OGDENSBURG — The Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority board of directors decided to pass.

After receiving guidance from a state agency that recommended it revise a policy that allows current and former board members to cross the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge without paying the $2.75 toll, the authority chose to leave the bridge passes unchanged in January.

“They left the bridge pass policy in place,” said Wade A. Davis, OBPA executive director. “They discussed it, they deliberated it and decided to leave it unchanged.”

In the fall of 2010, the Authorities Budget Office, which oversees state authorities, deemed the bridge pass policy inappropriate because it could be used for non-official reasons. In addition to former board members and their spouses, the mayor of Ogdensburg also may cross the bridge for free during his or her tenure in that position, though there is no record of him doing so.

The authority began looking into the issue shortly after the state flagged the policy, said Frederick J. Carter, OBPA vice chairman.

“It is a procedure that we had to look into because some people raised the question of why we should have a bridge pass,” he said. “We reviewed the ethics on it and we don’t feel that we’re in violation.”

Mr. Carter, who has served on the board since 1992, has been an outspoken defender of the bridge pass policy.

“We looked at it from every angle and we don’t feel we’re doing anything wrong,” he said. “That policy has been followed since way before I got there.”

David J. Kidera, director of the Authorities Budget Office, criticized the board’s decision.

“You’re permitted generally only to be reimbursed for your appropriate expenses,” he said. “If a board member had to cross the bridge as part of their official duties, that is something they could be reimbursed for.”

The policy is in violation of the law that brought the authority into existence, Mr. Kidera said.

“The authority’s governing statute says the members of the board shall not be entitled to compensation for their services but will be reimbursed for expenses necessary for their duties,” he said. “If they are receiving a benefit that is not directly related to their performance as a board member, that would be a violation of their governing statute.”

Mr. Kidera was also critical of parts of the policy that allow former board members and spouses to cross the bridge for free, but said he could understand why board members might need to cross the bridge for official duties.

“When it comes to board members, we might not have a problem if they were conducting a bridge inspection or they wanted to review the operations of the personnel. You could make an argument that they are entitled to be reimbursed,” he said. “I don’t necessarily think that they have to be given a pass.”

The passes are being used for legitimate reasons, Mr. Carter said, and are the only benefit for members.

“There’s been times that I went out there and looked at things that people have asked me about,” he said. “These board members get nothing for serving on that board. They serve on behalf of the governor. We don’t feel it is a gift; it is part of a benefit that people who work there get.”

Mr. Kidera said his office might look further into the matter.

“If a board can’t legally provide a benefit and they choose to provide it anyway, then I think we’ve got a problem,” he said.

The policy last was revised in 1989.

In 2011, the number of crossings made with the passes would total about $650 in tolls, Mr. Davis said.