Committee Members Spar Over Budget

DENNISVILLE — With the November 2011 win of two Republicans, Dennis Township Committee has changed majority. And with the proposed 2012 municipal budget poised a May 1 public hearing, both Republican and Democratic members have contacted local media to make their views known.
“Dennis Township’s new Mayor Eugene Glembocki and newly sworn in Committeemen Brian Teefy and Frank Germanio constructed a responsible budget that attempts to close a serious budget gap left by previous administrations, preserve services and keep an unavoidable tax increase as low as possible,” said Germanio in a release. “Glembocki, Teefy and Germanio were hit with shocking news about the township’s financial condition immediately after Township Committee reorganized in January.”
According to Germanio the township’s auditor, Leon Costello, brought to light a $600,000 budget gap caused by previous administrations’ actions in ignoring the auditor’s advice, including counting deferred school tax payments as surplus for two years in a row.
Not so fast, said Committeeman Al DiCiccio in the Democrats’ press release pertaining to the budget.
“Since the first of the year,” said DiCiccio, “the Republican committee members have done much complaining about the budget. Yet their initial actions involved appointing a solicitor [county Republican Party Chairman Michael Donohue] that had a price tag $20,000 higher than other qualified applicants, attempting to exceed the state mandated 2 percent tax cap and recommending a referendum that would have raised the local taxes significantly.”
The proposed 2012, $5.1-million budget includes a 2.5 cent increase per $100 of assessed value.
“Even after factoring in revenue from this increase, a budget deficit of $350,000 was left to close,” said Glembocki.
The proposed budget calls for departments within the township to have their individual budgets reduced by 20 to 50 percent.
“No employees will receive salary increases,” said Glembocki, “except for public works employees because the previous administration negotiated a 2 percent increase for them for the next six years. I’m all for collective bargaining, but I don’t think I ever heard of a six-year contract, especially in the economic times we’re in.”
According to DiCiccio, the employee contract with Public Works employees is for five years with pay raises stipulated at 0 percent, 2 percent and 2 percent for the first three years of the contract. The final two years of the contract are open to further wage negotiations and do not guarantee salary increases.
Difficult decisions were made in order to maintain township services wherever possible, said Germanio. “Unfortunately, residents may notice some service reductions as a result of these necessitated cuts. For example, the township may no longer be able to pick up leaves or brush at curbside.”
One area of the proposed budget that has some residents concerned is the township’s contribution to Belleplain Rescue Squad.
Traditionally the township has contributed an annual $105,000 donation to the rescue squad, Germanio told the Herald.
“In lieu of that this year, because we’re in a bad spot, we’re going to buy them an ambulance.”
Germanio said he, along with Committeeman John Murphy and Belleplain Rescue Squad chief executive officer Bill King have hammered out an agreement that will insure the rescue squad assistance from the township in future years.
“It’s much easier for the township if we buy equipment instead of giving them a cash payment,” said Germanio. “At the end of the day the dollar figure is going to be nearly the same.”
Germanio said equipment purchases can be bonded by the township and therefore paid for over a number of years.
The township’s $125,000 contract for 9-1-1 dispatch will remain intact.
“A summation of the current Dennis Township Republican ‘leadership’ would be: misrepresent facts, panic taxpayers and township employees, assign blame and complain,” said DiCiccio. “Dennis Township is hardly the only community facing strident economic challenges. Communities across the state and country are wrestling with the very real results of a severe economic recession.”
“Gene, Brian and I were elected to make some changes,” said Germanio. “Little did we know we would find this catastrophic financial situation. Our goal now is to have the most minimal impact possible on senior services, recreation and public works.”