When Cliffside Park officials sought to get around Atlantic City during the busy New Jersey League of Municipalities convention last November, they didn't bother taking the public jitneys or cabs.

They went in style, hiring Johnny Limo Atlantic City to cart them around for $300. And on another occasion, they commissioned a minibus to transport them for $750.

The tab was picked up by borough taxpayers. No questions asked.

The travel expenses are among a number of eye-popping costs incurred by 20 officials and nine spouses from this small, tight-knit borough of slightly more than 25,000 residents near the banks of the Hudson.

The town's total of nearly $18,000 is also the largest tab among the North Jersey towns that sent officials to last November's convention, according to an analysis of documents by NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey. They were among the thousands of local officials who join the annual convention sponsored by the League of Municipalities, the lobbying and advocacy group for New Jersey's municipal officials.

In a time of belt-tightening — an era when towns are required to keep property taxes from rising by more than 2 percent each year — Cliffside Park's spending appears to be a throwback to an earlier era of the spare-no-expense junket. Those responsible for watching the store went along for the ride.

Records obtained by reporters Katie Sobko and Kristie Cattafi paint a picture of a town with permissive standards, where large expenses are approved without objection.

Expensive rides and room service

The Johnny Limo ride was part of more than $2,000 in transportation costs incurred. One councilman submitted a bill for a $1,063 dinner that wasn't itemized. And Frank Berardo, the chief financial officer — the official who approved reimbursements for the trip — charged $70.82 for room service, which included a $30 omelet.

If there was a justification or a defense of the cost, borough officials did not seem eager to share it last week. Mayor Thomas Calabrese, Borough Administrator Joseph Rutch and Berardo did not respond to emails or phone messages seeking comment.

But Bill Maer, a Trenton lobbyist who serves as the municipal spokesman, said officials hired limousines for transport within the boundaries of Atlantic City.

He said they shuttled groups of people to multiple convention events. Officials felt "that this would be equal if not cheaper than a significant amount of cab fares,'' he said. And the $1,063 dinner submitted by Cliffside Park Borough Council President Kenneth Corcoran was for "multiple people."

Maer also repeated his defense that the trip was a helpful for networking, educational purposes, meeting vendors and, in some case cases, obtaining professional certification.

"They feel it is a useful expense,'' he said. "Certainly, they are going to look at the expense policy in the future and, if appropriate, will make changes."

Yet the Network's reporting unearthed not only documents, but a laissez faire attitude toward the trip. If not for the document analysis, there's a good chance Cliffside Park would never be forced to reevaluate its spending policies.

Valuable experience or boozy party?

The cost of sending large delegations of municipal officials, ostensibly to learn and "broaden their horizons,'' as one North Jersey official described it, has been baked into municipal budgets for decades. Defenders describe the November gathering as an invaluable learning and networking forum. Officials often return from the convention inspired with new cost-saving ideas, contacts and resolve.

But critics deride it as a schmooze-and-booze fest for others, a time to party with donors and contractors — many of whom reap lucrative profits from the state's 566 municipalities — and to make contact with the political elite preening for higher office. And with so many of the politically connected converging near the casinos, the convention has, over the years, been a magnet for corruption.

The documents analyzed by the Network prompted other officials to defend their expansive delegations.

Fort Lee, for example, sent 32 people to the convention — 14 employees and the rest unpaid "volunteers'' who work on boards and commissions, Mayor Mark Sokolich said. Sokolich also attended. The borough spent close to $16,000, the second-highest amount among North Jersey municipalities. Unlike Cliffside Park, Fort Lee reimburses only for hotel and registration fees.

"I was taken aback by the number as well,'' Sokolich said of the Network's findings. "I don't want to rank second in North Jersey."

Mayor defends his delegation

Yet Sokolich also argued that the trip was a worthy investment. Borough officials often return with innovative ideas to improve recycling, environmental tips or new ways to melt ice on borough streets.

"They are not going to know about it unless they're out there,'' he said.

And he argued that it's great for the morale of commissioners, who often put in 20 to 30 hours of unpaid work each week. Sokolich said offering them a perk was a "gesture" that helps keep them involved. In effect, Sokolich argued that it was saving the borough money in the long run.

"I’m sure that the guy running against me in November is going to say, ‘Look at this crazy mayor; he’s spending all this money,’ '' Sokolich said. "But I can assure you that if we didn’t have many of the volunteers that we have ... we’d have to hire for it, whether it is part time to full time."

Sokolich's response hinted at a possible new headache for local officials in coming elections. The taxpayers who had been unaware or unconcerned about the trip will soon become voters who may decide whether $16,000 to $18,000 in convention costs was a worthy investment.