COURT HOUSE – Middle Township Committee took another step in its efforts to build and motivate a better workforce at its Sept. 9 meeting. Committee introduced an ordinance on first reading that establishes new compensation levels for officers and employees of the township based upon specific positions.
The proposed ordinance also provides additional compensation based on years of service for employees hired before Dec. 31, 1994.
A major effect of the ordinance is to establish what the committee believes are more competitive and fair starting salaries and salary ranges for all new, full-time employees hired as of Sept. 9.
There was no discussion of the ordinance at the meeting with a public hearing scheduled as prelude to the second reading and possible adoption Oct. 5.
In a related move, committee adopted a resolution that amended various salaries for currently established employees in connection with the overall changes in compensation. Current employees who earn between $18,720 and $22,000 will see their salary adjusted to $23,500 annually.
Earlier programs adopted by the committee have tried to establish clearer career paths for township employees as well as providing merit recognition through employee award programs.
Committee members see the moves as important to the township.
“This is long overdue,” said Committeeman Michael Clark. Clark noted that the township often finds itself in the position of hiring inexperienced individuals, training them and then losing them to better paying municipalities. “We can’t continue that way,” he added.
Mayor Timothy Donohue was unable to attend the meeting but made his case in a release in which he argued the new compensation structure was both an issue of competitiveness and fairness.
“In order to continue attracting and retaining the best qualified applicants as well as in the interest of fairness to the township’s lowest-paid employees, we worked hard on this initiative,” he said.
Deputy Mayor Daniel Lockwood, who chaired the meeting in Donohue’s absence, noted that the township’s entry level salaries “made it difficult to succeed.” He indicated his belief that the township is “still probably behind many other municipalities,” but he also cited the township’s better benefits package as a competitive edge.
The last increase in the township’s starting annual salaries occurred in 2002. “That was 13 years ago,” Lockwood noted.
Business Administrator Connie Mahon said that the proposed increases can be handled in the current budget through transfers from other budget lines which have seen savings this year.
Mahon said that the township had planned for this over a couple of years and feels it is sustainable in the budget.
Lockwood also reminded the public that the next committee meeting will be Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. in the Rio Grande Firehouse.
He noted that the committee has done this for the last few years, “taking the meeting on the road” to Rio Grande. He expressed the hope that residents who do not make the trip to Court House for the meetings would consider attending in Rio Grande.
Lockwood also said that the agenda, not yet final, will be “Rio Grande centric.”
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
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