Trenton faces toilet paper crisis over city contract dispute

The capital of New Jersey is in the grips of a toilet paper crisis as city officials squabble over a supply contract for public buildings, The Times of Trenton tells us.

The dwindling stocks of TP and paper towels are likely to run out by the end of the week. If dispensers aren't refilled, the state could force the city to take the extreme measure of locking public buildings -- including City Hall, senior centers, libraries and the police and fire departments -- if health codes are violated, the paper says.

The City Council has three times rejected Mayor Tony Mack's request for a one-year, $42,000 contract to supply paper products, "mostly over concerns about a high unit price for hot drink cups and how the expenditure was handled," the Times writes.

"I'm embarrassed. I'm a little disgusted, and I feel we're doing an injustice to the residents of the city and the employees," said council President Kathy McBride.

The contract faces a fourth vote tonight.

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