Freeholder Actions: County Counsel Resigns, Acting Replacement Named (Salary Info Attached)

COURT HOUSE – Without comment from freeholders Dec. 9, Cape May County named James B. Arsenault Jr. acting county counsel effective Dec. 9 to replace Barbara Bakley-Marino, who resigned effective Dec. 1, 2014. Arsenault had been assistant county counsel and had worked with Bakley-Marino.
In that acting, full-time, unclassified position Arsenault’s salary will increase to $110,000 annually.
Bakley-Marino had been on leave. Her three-year term would have expired July 13, 2016. According to the 2014 county payroll, she began with the county Feb. 16, 1993 and was paid $120,139 annually as counsel. Arsenault was hired April 3, 2006 and earned $91,343 as assistant counsel. He has received temporary lump sum payments as he worked on temporary assignment to fill in for Bakley-Marino.
At the same meeting the board appointed Kevin Lare as acting purchasing agent at an annual salary of $52,666. He replaced Kim Allen, who was not reappointed when her three-year term expired Aug. 26. She earned $72,393, and had been with the county since Sept. 15, 2006. He, too, received temporary lump sum payments as he worked on temporary assignment to fill in for Allen.
In Fare Free Transportation, Acting Director Daniel Mulraney was given a second salary increase, per agreement of $5,000. Effective Dec. 9, his annual salary became $57,500.
At the same meeting, members of AFSCME, the union that represents many county employees, received stipends in lieu of back pay from July 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2014.
Similarly, non-union and management employees received stipends in lieu of back pay from July 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2014.
In other action the board:
• Appointed to the county Human Services Advisory Council with terms from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017: providers Donna Groome, George Plewa, Greg Speed; Consumer advocate John Roy and Wayne Whelan, member-at-large.
• Authorized agreement with Atlantic City Electric Co., in a declared state of emergency, not at-will use by either party, to share access to fuel pumps for county and utility company vehicles. The one-year agreement contains nine additional one-year renewals, unless ended by either part on three months written notice.
• Ended the janitorial contract with Daycare Cleaning Services Inc. effective Dec. 12 for various county buildings and county libraries.
• Approved contract with Cape Counseling Services Inc. for one year, with four one-year renewal options, to provide intensive supervision for court-involved youth. Approved another one-year contract for Station House Adjustment Program for county youth, pending Juvenile Justice Commission funding. There are four, one-year renewal options beginning Jan. 1, 2015.
• Awarded one-year contract to Jersey Cape Diagnostic, Training and Opportunity Center Inc. for Probation Pathways Program for court-involved youth. The agreement permits four, one-year renewal options, and started Jan. 1, 2015.
• Awarded to Smeltzer and Sons, Inc. of Court House contract to furnish and deliver various animal feed and miscellaneous non-feed products to the County Zoo for one year with two, one-year extension options.
• Awarded to South State Inc. of Bridgeton a $784,653 contract to revamp Hope Corson Road (County Road 671) from Stagecoach Road to Route 9.
• Also, to South State, contract for $2,592,315 to resurface New Jersey Avenue, (County Road 621) in Wildwood from Youngs Avenue to 26th Avenue.