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The authority is an autonomous agency that owns and operates a trunk sewer system and a wastewater treatment plant that serves over 300,000 residents and 3,500 industrial and commercial customers in 14 Union and Middlesex county towns, including Springfield, Kenilworth, Roselle Park, Cranford, Westfield, Garwood, Clark, Rahway, and Woodbridge.

DeCroce said the spending examples uncovered at the sewerage authority give more credence to an Assembly Republican initiative to combine the state's duplicative auditing agencies into one Office of Auditor General, an independent elected position that would have the ability to recoup taxpayer dollars improperly spent and punish those responsible.

"Our existing auditing agencies are either beholden to those who appoint them or do not have the power to enact reform or justice for taxpayers when they unearth wasteful, fraudulent or abuse spending of public dollars," DeCroce said. "We must give the public a powerful ally with the will to stand up for them against misuse of public dollars."

A detailed list showing questionable spending by the Authority and other public agencies such as the Atlantic City Visitors and Convention and New Jersey Sports and Exposition authorities, which has been uncovered by Assembly Republicans under DeCroce's direction is available at www.njassemblyrepublicans.com.

Sewerage authority officials have been asked for a response to DeCroce's findings.