Middle Changes Purchasing Process; Works to Replace Public Works Vehicles

COURT HOUSE – Middle Township Committee quickly dispatched 25 resolutions in a short Nov. 2 meeting of less than an hour. The resolutions ranged over a number of areas of township business.
Purchasing
Two resolutions together made important changes to the municipal purchasing process. Committee adopted a new purchasing manual and raised the public bidding threshold from $17,500 to $40,000. The move allows the township to take advantage of state adjustments in the bidding threshold for municipal contracting units.
Citing the efficiency gains the move promises for the township, Mayor Timothy Donohue noted the importance of the purchasing manual which places “the right controls in place.”
Donohue said taxpayers need to know “We spend their money wisely and we always also spend it reluctantly.”
At an earlier meeting committee postponed a vote on the new threshold because the manual was not yet complete. Without that manual, committee did not feel the guidelines were in place to protect the taxpayer if the threshold was raised.
Donohue cited the work by Qualified Purchasing Agent Joshua Niemann and Chief Financial Officer John Clifford in completing the manual.
Public Works Improvements
Deputy Mayor Daniel Lockwood commented on a new effort to more systematically replace vehicles and equipment. Noting that the lack of long-range planning has hindered the township’s ability to most effectively utilize funds for vehicles and equipment, Lockwood said an in-house developed plan would help avoid spikes in capital funding and maintenance costs through careful and systematic evaluation of vehicles and equipment on an on-going basis.
The Public Works Department and its Motor Pool Division service all township equipment and vehicles. 
Parkway and Route 9 Projects
Lockwood noted that there are still a number of items related to the Garden State Parkway Overpass Project that fall under the category of “just not done yet.” He said the project is still a number of months from completion as “finishing work” continues.
Lockwood also cautioned that the paving for the Route 9 project was also not completed. Another layer of asphalt, or what is often called lift, is still to be applied. 
The contractor will then address any areas that require work to improve transitions at private drives and public intersections.
Class II Police Officers
By resolution, the committee appointed John Frangieh a Special Class II Police Officer. The appointment brings the number of special officers to six in the police department. A question during public comment concerned the fact that the Class II officers are paid only $10.50 an hour.
The concern was twofold, addressing both the issue of proper pay for officers who undertake many of the duties of full-time police officers and concern that the pay level might not attract individuals appropriate to the job’s requirements.
Donohue agreed that the pay level was too low and that “we need to find a way to pay them more.”
Police Chief Christopher Leusner said the township has only used this class of officer since 2010. He said, “We went with the prevailing pay scale in other municipalities at the time.”
Leusner emphasized the fact that the quality of applicants for openings as Class II officers is high. Many individuals attracted to the job, Leusner noted, are “building their resume” in the hopes of increasing their attractiveness for full-time positions across the county.
Leusner said competition for full-time positions is very competitive with large pools of applicants for any position. Experience as a Class II officer can be a significant plus in the competition.
Leusner should know. He began his law enforcement career as a Class II officer in Wildwood during the summer of 1997 and was able to turn that into an appointment as a full-time officer in Middle Township that September.
The police department is authorized for 48 full-time officers and seven Class II officers. The present staffing level is 47 full-time positions filled and six of the seven Class II positions utilized.
Leusner was quick to note that the Class II officers go through about 80 percent of the training required of the full-time officers. While they cannot do everything that full-time, fully-trained officers do, they perform an important service doing necessary work and freeing up full-time officers for other assignments.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.