Municipal Salaries in Middle Township Consume Large Part of Budget

COURT HOUSE – It is no surprise that personnel costs represent a significant portion of any municipal budget. Municipal budgets are about services directly provided to citizens, and those services require people. 
In 2017, Middle Township budgeted for 136 full-time positions and 96 part-time. The total budgeted personnel costs, $12.4 million, represented 60 percent of the appropriated general budget. 
During its reorganization meeting in January, the Middle Township Committee passed a resolution listing the 2018 salaries for full and part-time staff for this year. 
Although the picture is not materially different from 2017, the list provides a granular look at the salary structure. Details on the list will frequently change throughout the year, but it provides a point-in-time snapshot.
Police Employment
No surprise. The personnel costs for a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week police department absorbed more than half of all personnel expenditures in the township’s adopted 2017 budget. 
In that budget, the department had 50 budgeted full-time officers and 10 part-time. The 2018 resolution lists 52 full-time officers and seven part-time.
Again change occurs. Since that resolution was passed, two officers have been sworn who were not on the salary list.
What the list shows is that 45 percent of the full-time police officers have base salaries over $100,000. The average salary for an officer covering all ranks on the list is $86,000. 
By contrast, only one salary outside of the police department tops $100,000, that of the business administrator.
This is fully in-line with New Jersey’s position as one of the states with the highest average police salaries. A well-compensated police department is something the citizens of the state have supported for a long time.
The salaries of police officers in New Jersey led ex-Gov. Christie to gain legislation that placed a 2 percent cap on binding arbitration judgments regarding police and firefighter contracts.
That cap has expired, and its potential reinstatement is an issue of some political controversy in Trenton.
Civilian Employment
The list presented as part of the 2018 salary resolution shows 138 full-time positions. With 52 of those police officers, the civilian full-time staff of the township in that salary resolution stands at 86. 
The township depends on an almost equal number of part-time employees.
As expected, salaries outside the police department are lower. One position in the list commands a $100,000-plus salary, a $110,000 salary for the business administrator.
Four statutory positions command salaries of $80,000 apiece, those being municipal clerk, tax assessor, tax collector and chief financial officer.
A handful of department heads have salaries above $50,000, which leaves 85 percent of the civilian employees of the township below $50,000. 
A review of the list shows 45 percent of the full-time civilian employees of the township have salaries below $30,000.
2018 Budget
The township committee has often expressed a desire to bring salaries up for some of the lower-paying positions in order to keep the municipality competitive for talent.
How much room there is to maneuver in a budget that is already heavily absorbed by personnel costs is not clear.
In 2017, and one would expect in 2018, personnel costs allocated to things other than base pay, items of health benefits, pension payments, employment taxes and overtime, amounted to one out of every $3 allocated. In short, for every dollar spent in base pay, just over 50 cents is spent in other personnel expense.
As the 2018 budget takes shape, the salary list resolution is just one glimpse at the issues the township faces.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.