Non-union Workers’ Pay Hikes Stalled

VILLAS – The Sept. 7 Lower Township Council meeting was scheduled to include a vote on a resolution authorizing pay increases to non-union municipal employees; the language in that proposal mirrored the disputed language contained in the proposed township supervisory agreement that the Herald reported last month.  
The current non-union proposed labor agreement’s language regarding certain pay raises resulted in a legal discussion and opinion by the acting township solicitor.
Deputy Mayor Norris Clark and Mayor Michael Beck pointed out that the non-union contract proposal contained language pertaining to the township administrator’s authority, and “sole discretion” to grant merit raises and so-called “market adjustments” to these employees.
Both felt that the non-union proposal was just as imprecise as the previous supervisory contract that created heated debate in August. Beck explained that a contract is binding only to the extent of the written text within the pages and those verbal intentions or understandings do not count.
Beck repeated his argument from the previous supervisory contract that the language seems to require council’s approval for market adjustments, but not for merit raises.
These raises seem to be at the sole discretion of the township manager. Acting Solicitor Robert Belasco reviewed the portion of the proposed contract under discussion and agreed that, as written, it could be interpreted to mean that merit raises do not require council approval. He requested that he be able to review the entire contract before rendering a final opinion.
Council then voted 5-0 to table the resolution until the language was reviewed.
Councilman Thomas Conrad announced that a special meeting at township hall would be held between 10 a.m. and noon Sept. 24 to provide affected residents along the bay with the information they will need to make decisions about flood insurance and taking steps to mitigate the possible damage that might impact flood insurance rates.
Councilman David Perry discussed the status of the beach access plan that should begin soon. He noted the state Department of Environmental Protection had required two changes.
He stated the Rosehill Avenue entrance must be moved approximately 150 feet south of its present location; the New York Avenue entrance will require considerably more work due to the dangerous nature of that steep access point. 
Township Manager James Ridgway noted that an additional $5,000 contract was awarded to Mott MacDonald to engineer these changes, among other smaller items.
Council went into closed session to discuss a proposed new contract with the Policemen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) concerning police contracts. The results of those closed meeting discussions were not known as of this story’s deadline.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.