TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, WARREN COUNTY
Budget Meeting
February 25, 2006

TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, WARREN COUNTY

Budget Meeting
February 25, 2006

The budget meeting of the Township Committee was held this date at the Municipal/Police Building located on Little Philadelphia Road. The meeting was called to order at 9:10 a.m. by Mayor David Dempski.

SUNSHINE LAW COMPLIANCE - The Mayor noted that this meeting was being held in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Law of 1975 in as much as a notice had been published in the Star Gazette and transmitted to the Express Times and posted at the municipal building.

SALUTE THE FLAG

ROLL CALL: Kovacs, present; Mueller, present;  Dempski, present.   Township Clerk Mary Ann O’Neil, Clerk, Andrew Coppola, Dave Evans, Auditor and John Mooney were also present. Horensky and Strunk were absent.

RESOLUTION
Kovacs made a motion to approve Resolution 06-41 Resolution Authorizing the Award of a Non-Fair and Open Contract for HVAC, Mechanical and Electrical Design Services for the new Municipal Building, Mueller seconded.
ROLL CALL: Kovacs, yes; Mueller, yes; Dempski, yes.

Kovacs made a motion to approve Resolution 06-42 Resolution Authorizing & Approving Salaries & Wages for Certain Employees, (DPW Workers), Mueller seconded.
ROLL CALL: Kovacs, yes; Mueller, yes; Dempski, yes.

2006 BUDGET DISCUSSION
The Committee did a line by line discussion on the budget with Evans.  Kovacs said he had some salary adjustments to propose to the Committee.  Chief Mc Donald had asked for a salary adjustment to $85,000 at the last meeting.  The Mayor said that there is a fixed raise and adjustment based on the CPI, plus there is longevity. He had gotten numbers from Finance and excluding DARE and Overtime, the Chief’s salary is $85, 997 this year.  The Mayor said that Phillipsburg’s chief is making $83,300, Lopatcong is making $83,000 and Washington Boro last year was $75,400. The Mayor said he had discussed this with the chief and he gets no overtime and cannot get overtime.   The Chief started as a patrolman in 1986, promoted full time to chief in 1997, so he has been 20 years in the department and 9 years as chief.  The previous chief’s salary, when Chief Mc Donald started, was $58,000.   Each officer gets approximately $12,000 a year in regular and special overtime, there are 33% of the officers that make less and 25% are about equal and 25% exceed by $3,000 and $16% exceed by $4,000. The overtime does inflate the percentages being paid.

Horensky came into the meeting at 9:15 a.m..

Kovacs was in favor of increasing the Chief’s salary to $85,000. Horensky talked about the Chief’s performance, how he has  improved the department, services provided to the residents and he takes his  job seriously.    Horensky said that without having a yearly  performance evaluation they have no way of knowing what an employee is contributing to the Township. Horensky said the raise request was justifiable.   The Mayor said the Chief had said he made less than his department when he factored in the overtime, so no matter what is given it will not make up for that. Horensky said that the Chief had told him that he knows he will never make as much as his men.  The Mayor said he will support the adjustment, but he wants to start seeing performance appraisals done which would affect the longevity pay. Horensky said the performance appraisals is good and it must be for all employees.  The Mayor said he will support this if he gets the support from the Committee to do an ordinance which will allow them to establish performances to affect longevity pay.  A straw vote was taken, Mueller did not support it, Horensky will support it, Kovacs said it is fine, but it cannot be done with the bargaining units, just other full time  employees.  The Mayor said it will be the non-represented people, the full time staff. The Mayor will have something in writing to be reviewed by the Committee at the next meeting.  Kovacs said this will be the third salary adjustment for the Chief.

Kovacs said the Clerk has asked the Committee on several occasions for a salary adjustment, which was refused, nothing has ever been done with her salary. He would like to see the Clerk get a pay adjustment.  After a survey, it was determined that she makes less in salary than surrounding municipalities and has more years in and credentials than most of them. Kovacs said the Clerk, with salary and extra money for Personnel Administrator, she would be at $48,794 and he recommended a $3500 salary adjustment for the Clerk. Kovacs said, even with this amount she will be making less than most of the other Clerks in the surrounding area.    The Mayor asked for a vote to raise the salary adjustment for the Clerk,; Horensky, yes; Kovacs, yes; Mueller, yes, but felt $5000 would be better and the Mayor did not support it.    Mueller said this is a case where the Clerk is well under most of the other Clerks.  Horensky said that when the Committee chose to go forward with the cost of living, plus 1% and everybody else in County was giving 7% or 8%  raises, the Committee became fiscally responsible. Then, because other municipalities were not, there was this big gap in salary between one town and another.
 
Kovacs said, after negotiations, Al Tutela talked with him and would like to see Frank Gara get a .30/hour raise.  He is a senior member in the department.  This .30/hour would be given to Frank Gara, then once he retired the position would be wiped out.  On a vote, Mueller, said yes; Horensky, yes; Kovacs, yes; Dempski, no.

Kovacs asked for resolutions on these three adjustments for next meeting to be voted on and they should be retroactive. The ordinance should be checked to see if salary amendments are needed.

There was further discussion on the budget.    Kovacs left the meeting at 10:10 a.m.   Evans advised the Committee to pass the COLA Ordinance whether the Township needs it or not to protect the Township next year, because it can be used two years.

There was discussion on a fire truck that is part of a bond, which cannot be transferred to the fire district, because it is wrapped up into a  bond. Evans will call Steve Rogut, Bond Counsel, about the fire truck.  The Mayor said a payment plan would have to be worked out. The Mayor and Horensky will look into this further and meet with Ralph Dorio, Fire District Commissioner.  Horensky said the Fire District has the funds to pay off the vehicle if it could be transferred.  Evans said it cannot be sold, it can not be given, but it can be leased. Evans said you cannot give or sell them the truck.   If you want to lease the fire truck to the fire district, you can, but you cannot transfer ownership of it ever.  The Mayor asked if the Township would own this, even when it is paid off, Evans said yes until it is traded in.  The Fire District has been paying the interest payment, not the principle payment. The Township is making the debt payment on the truck.  

After going through the entire budget. At this point, the tax rate would be .373/$100 or an increase of 1.5 cents (same as last year).     Evans said he will finalize as much as he can and get it ready. Once the State releases the numbers he will finalize it.  Then a date can be set to introduce the budget. 

CODIFICATION
The Mayor asked the Clerk how she plans on doing the codification for 2005.  The Clerk said she will have 2005 codified, then when the sign ordinance is finalized, the next codification will be done to include the sign ordinance.

PUBLIC COMMENTS (11:20 a.m.)
Frank Kregan, 62 Merlin Drive, noted that at 1.5 cents increase it will be 4.2%. He said this is reasonable. His main concern with the budget is to have a sufficient amount of monies being appropriated to enforce the ordinances and resolutions from the Land Use Board.  This is solely from a property value protection point of view over at Hawk Pointe.     Also, last year there was talk about selling the property on Asbury-Anderson Road.  He asked, if it was sold, how would the money be used?    The Mayor said it would go into the surplus to do what is needed.   Evans said, it is his recommendation that any asset money received should be set aside and then used for a definite plan that would have a long reaching benefit of the taxpayers.      The Mayor said there is no use for the lot on the Asbury Anderson Road. This will be discussed later.  There is no obligation to sell it if there might be a use for it down the road.

There being nothing further to come before the Committee, Mueller made a motion to adjourn at 11:25 a.m. Horensky seconded.  All were in favor.

Respectfully,

Mary Ann O’Neil RMC/CMC
Township Clerk