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MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE
SPECIAL BUDGET MEETING MINUTES—February 27, 2007
Montville Township Committee Special Budget Meeting
Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
Montville Township Municipal Building, 195 Changebridge
Road, Montville, New Jersey
6:00 p.m. – Statement of Open
Public Meetings Act Compliance read by Chairman Art Daughtry: “As required by the Open Public Meetings
Act, adequate Notice of this meeting has been provided which Notice specified
the time and place of the meeting to the extent known at that time. The Notice
was posted on the bulletin board at the Municipal Building, mailed to The
Daily Record, The Star Ledger, and The Citizen as well as
other newspapers and it was placed on file in the Township Clerk’s office. This
meeting has been properly noticed to the public in accordance with the Open
Public Meetings Act.”
Present: Committeeman Stephen Moscone
Committeeman
James Sandham, Jr.
Committeewoman Jean Bader
Committeewoman Deborah Nielson
Chairman Art Daughtry
Also present: Frank Bastone, Township
Administrator
Frances
Vanderhoof, Director of Finance
Anthony
Barile, Township Engineer
Meeting began at 6:10 p.m.
DISCUSSION 2007 MUNICIPAL BUDGET – OPERATING EXPENSES:
Frank
Bastone, Township Administrator, stated he received questions regarding the o/e
from each Township Committee member. He
distributed and went over the questions and answers:
PERS and
Police/Fire retirement – are these numbers locked down at this point? Numbers are concrete; however we can reduce
the PERS number by deducting allocations to water & sewer and the library. The net appropriation is $147,988, a
reduction of $46,733. Bastone provided
spreadsheet.
Insurance
– why is worker’s compensation up 18%?
The appropriation is only up $16,284, or 7.2%, which is the percentage
that our JIF premium went up. Bastone
provided analysis by Rompala and Vanderhoof.
Group
health is up 14% - any ideas to reduce premiums? Number of ideas to reduce premiums, all of which involve contract
negotiations: North Jersey Municipal
Employee Benefits Fund, co-pays, and contributions to premiums.
What is
in Township Committee miscellaneous in 2006?
Is there another $2k to cut from 2007 budget? Expenditure history provided.
Based on 3-year history, could pare this back. Township Committee agreed – reduce by $2,000.
Information
systems – are we continuing our replacement plan and leasing more new
PC’s? 2007 lease program is budgeted at
$12,360.
What is
communication/internet for $7,500?
Simlab T-1 internet access. We
created a new line item in 2007. Last
year it was in the EDP line item.
Planning
Board – consulting/professional fees have trended downward from a total of $35k
in 2004 to $20k in 2006. The 2007
budget is still at $34k. Is there
another $10k available to cut? There
are studies that need to be completed.
Bastone provided Burgis (planner) 1/29/07 letter addressing same.
Do we
need a housing secretary at a cost of $2,468?
Yes. Look into. Discussion regarding needing people to do
the minutes. Bastone to ask Bob Perkins
to research voice recognition software.
Solid
waste – miscellaneous expense for Rachel Gardens – why bid increase from $50k
to $95k? Second half annual bill was
not paid until February 2007.
Facilities
– Schindler Elevator services contract $2,500 – where do we have an
elevator? Public Safety Building.
Retirements
– doesn’t $40k per years for Adams continue?
Payments to Adams are finished.
How do you spread Amari’s $10k over two years? Policy allows payment to be spread over two years.
NewBridge
contribution – Township Committee agreed to reduce it from $5,000 to $2,000.
What is
$1,800 new alarm panel? Alarm panel was
moved from facilities budget to administration. It is the alarm panel at the police department. Look into eliminating this – there are only
nine customers – not worth it.
Can we
reduce legal services more than $12,000?
Bastone stated his recommended additional cuts cut it $50,000.
Grand
total reduced from $6,936,183 to $6,932,383 for a $273,479 increase which is a
4.1% increase.
Township
Committee would like the administrative assistant’s duties outlined. They generally support the request for an
administrative assistant. Grants would
be one of the duties. To be discussed
in detail at a later date.
Township
Engineer car allowance – phase out? Not
given to other employees. This is a
personnel issue. The budget continues
the benefit provided to the employee.
Engineer
aide needed – even part-time. Not
efficient if Department Head is on auto cad.
What about inspector learning auto cad?
Bastone will discuss with the Department Head.
Daughtry
stated he would like to see summer help again for filing, etc. Bastone stated one of his objectives is to
look at the organization table in the next couple of months. He recommends no additional personnel.
Daughtry
stated at the second meeting in May he will bring up the status of the
objectives.
Township
Committee agreed - fund the following:
$10,000 for recreation equipment
$12,800 Planning Board additional
studies
$2,500 Drug Awareness grant match
$3,000 stormwater management
$4,000 Youth Services worker
Township
Committee agreed – bring up to Recreation again about organizations paying for
lights.
Discussion
– no money in for interns. Last year
they had $4,000 in for summer intern.
Fund the $4,00 for intern.
Nielson stated she feels they need more than one intern.
Sandham
stated he does not agree with splitting retirement expenses over two
years. Vanderhoof and Bastone explained
it is in the Personnel Manual. It is a
policy.
Bastone
stated they are at 7%.
Daughtry
stated they need to hear from the Administrator on the organizational charts,
and if they need more people.
Next
budget meeting set for March 13, 2007, at 6 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15
p.m. Motion: Daughtry. Second: Moscone.
All in favor. Motion approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Gertrude H. Atkinson, Township
Clerk
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