Council OKs $14,580
payment to ex-official
OLD BRIDGE — The Township Council has unanimously voted to pay $14,580 in unused vacation and sick time to the municipality’s former business administrator.
The council approved the payout package for Alayne Shepler, now the business administrator in neighboring Manalapan Township, at its Feb. 9 meeting without any discussion.
Shepler, who left her position in Old Bridge on Dec. 31, will receive about $7,000 in unused vacation time and $7,500 in sick time, according to Himanshu Shah, the township’s acting business administrator since Jan. 1.
During her seven years as the township’s administrator and public safety director, Shepler actually accrued about $13,000 in sick time, Shah explained.
However, township law prevents any employee hired after 1993 from receiving more than $7,500 in unused sick days, he said.
Shepler was first hired by Old Bridge as director of budgets and purchasing in December 1994. She served under former Mayor Barbara Cannon, who chose not to seek re-election after 12 years in that post. Cannon also left office on Dec. 31.
Meanwhile, Cannon’s successor, Mayor Jim Phillips, has indicated that he hopes to hire a new business administrator within 30 to 45 days.
Four candidates are under serious consideration, Phillips said, noting that two more candidates might also be added to that list of prospects.
At least four of those candidates are expected to be interviewed during a special closed session of the council on Saturday morning, according to Phillips. A memo from the township clerk’s office confirmed that the council’s closed session will begin at 9 a.m.
The notion of allowing the council to interview each candidate is a matter of courtesy, Phillips explained.
In addition, because the business administrator’s salary is set by the council, the governing body should review each candidate’s qualifications before the township makes a job offer, he said.
The new administrator might also serve as public safety director, if the candidate’s résumé includes law enforcement experience, said Phillips, who currently acts in that capacity.
Two of the four candidates under serious consideration have public safety experience; one has been a police officer and the other has experience as a public safety director in a different municipality, Phillips said.
"The search for a B.A. is moving along," Phillips said. "We’ve had some excellent candidates."
Once the council interviews the candidates, Phillips will take the council members’ findings into consideration before making a decision.
The new business administrator’s start date could depend on how soon they could be released from their current employment, if any, Phillips said.
The candidates were recruited via advertisements on the township’s cable television station and Web site, through the New Jersey League of Municipalities, and in trade publications, Phillips said.
Shah, the township’s full-time finance director, will continue as acting business administrator until Shepler’s successor is hired.