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The recreation department’s tradition of tagging — collecting donations in cans from drivers stopped at red lights or stop signs — has been put on hold for now until the department can establish guidelines for the process.

An outside auditor, David Kaplan, recently found the department was not monitoring how much money was being collected through tagging and reported the finding at a council meeting. He also recommended the department tighten its fee-establishing and fee-waiving processes.

The city’s Pop Warner, Little League and basketball teams tag four or more times per year. The funds usually help with travel costs for bigger games or championships, department head Leesha Floyd said.

Tagging is “temporarily on hold until we can put some parameters in place,” Floyd said this week. “At this point, I’m gathering input from the police department, fire department, Little League and Pop Warner.”

Floyd will create a policy based on this information. The policy will need approval from the recreation commission, an ad hoc committee within the recreation department.

The stay on tagging will “absolutely not” affect any of the programs, Floyd said. The city will assist the department financially if need be, she said.

The department is also in the process of formally establishing the next year’s fees. At the Aug. 1 meeting, the mayor and council approved an ordinance allowing the department to set fees by resolution, as well as a resolution setting the fees, as per Kaplan’s recommendation.

The department also plans to start waiving fees for children whose families cannot afford it by using the New Jersey Reduce Lunch program as a guideline.

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