Terenik Chosen as Middle’s Administrator; Proposed Budget Targeted by Donohue

COURT HOUSE – Middle Township resident Elizabeth Terenik was selected as the new municipal business administrator replacing Connie Mahon who left for a similar job in Wildwood Crest in 2016. 
Terenik most recently served as the head of Atlantic City’s Planning and Development Department, a job she assumed in March 2014.
For seven years Terenik was a principal in her land use planning company. She worked with Middle Township on issues of land use and economic development.
Terenik, a graduate of Villanova, holds a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University.
Committee member Timothy Donohue praised Terenik as a planner. “She has vision and can see years down the road,” Donohue said.
Mayor Michael Clark lauded the selection process that resulted in “five excellent candidates coming forward to the full committee.”
Terenik will take on her duties beginning May 1. The committee unanimously approved a contract for a term of four years running from May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2021.
Interim Business Administrator Steve O’Connor said the term is the same as it was for Mahon’s contract. The initial salary is $105,000 and the contract has a renewal option based upon mutual agreement at the time. Mahon’s salary had reached $120,000 by the time she left.
Earlier in her career Terenik served as director of Planning and Engineering for Ocean City.
Proposed Budget
Following the introduction of the $20-million 2017 budget at the committee’s March 20 meeting, Donohue subsequently issued a press release arguing that the proposed 5.63 percent increase needed to be brought down and in line with the state’s 2 percent CAP on municipal tax rate growth. 
“The budget, as currently proposed, is a step back towards a time of uncontrolled spending,” Donohue said.
A larger increase is technically allowed because of increases in certain expense items in the budget that are exempt from the CAP rules or because the governing body uses CAP reserves saved from previous budgets.
Donohue said that he cannot support the proposed budget without changes that bring it in line with a total 2 percent increase. In his release, Donohue outlined budget changes he claimed would reduce spending by $370,000 without harm to township services.
The budget dispute is setting up a second straight year in which the budget may need to be adopted on a straight party-line vote.
While the budget was not discussed at the April 3 meeting, one member of the public, John Lauricella, of Court House, urged the committee to compromise and seek consensus.
Deputy Mayor Jeffrey DeVico said he felt some of Donohue’s suggested changes had merit and was open to a dialog. Clark did not comment on Donohue’s call for change.
A hearing on the budget will most likely occur at the April 17 meeting. It could be followed by a vote on the budget’s adoption or amendments and changes to the introduced budget could delay that process.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.