VILLAS – Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) has scheduled a meeting for Friday Oct 16 (tonight) at 7 p.m. for a closed session to discuss personnel issues.
On the Board of Commissioner’s agenda is Resolution 163-2009: Abolishing Positions. The board is scheduled to open the meeting to the public following the closed session. No other business is scheduled to be transacted.
A standing room only crowd of MUA employees, family members and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union bosses and members filled the authority’s meeting room Oct. 7 protesting a proposal before the MUA Board of Commissioners to abolish the position of two long time employees.
MUA employees Kathy Armbruster and Dawn Cottrell have been given 90 days notice their positions were being “abolished.”
At issue, the MUA is creating a new position of chief financial officer (CFO). At the meeting, employees accused MUA Executive Director Mike DeMarcantonio of eliminating two office positions to fund the $75,000 to $90,000 salary range for the new, CFO position.
Following a lengthy closed session meeting, the public meeting reopened with Board Chairman Pete Bitting announcing no decision had been reached.
At the Oct. 7 meeting, DeMarcantnio said a CFO would be a certified public accountant and a certified municipal financial officer. He said MUA has a $9 million budget.
“It is getting to be more than in-house staff can handle,” said DeMarcantonio.
He said MUA’s budget has been short over $600,000 for the past five years including $500,000 short this year. DeMarcantonio said laying off the two women and hiring a CFO would save $40,000.
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