BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer
South River’s building department would be disbanded and its responsibilities turned over to Old Bridge Township under a plan that is supported by a majority of borough officials.
The proposal, which would involve the layoffs of employees including the borough’s full-time construction official, was approved Monday night, despite the opposition of Republicans on the Borough Council. Several residents also expressed concerns that the move will further delay the process of obtaining building permits.
After the council voted 3-3, along party lines, to enter an interlocal agreement with Old Bridge for the construction code services, Democratic Mayor Robert Szegeti broke the tie by voting in support. He said the move will increase efficiency and decrease costs to the borough.
“We are expanding our services,” Szegeti said.
The Old Bridge Township Council is expected to vote on the agreement in August. Mayor Jim Phillips said he supports the agreement and feels it will be beneficial to both towns.
Earlier during Monday’s meeting, the South River council voted unanimously to increase construction fees, bringing them in line with state standards and with Old Bridge township’s fees, which are 15 percent higher than South River’s, according to Andrew Salerno, borough business administrator. He said part of the process of entering an agreement with Old Bridge is to adopt identical fees.
Salerno, who negotiated the agreement with Old Bridge, said construction permit applications will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of whether the applicant is from South River or Old Bridge. While residents may have to go to the Old Bridge municipal offices on Route 516 to get permits, it would be possible for the permits to be sent to borough hall in South River as well.
Salerno estimated a net savings of $19,000 for the borough, taking into account the reduction of one full-time and one part-time employee in the construction department, and health benefits.
Old Bridge will gain by receiving a portion of the money from construction and permit fees paid by South River landowners.
Resident Marilyn Meloni is opposed to the move.
“Thirty-eight years of no customer service and all of a sudden we can do these things,” Meloni said. “… It seems mighty fishy to me, and I think the public is well aware of it.”
Former borough Councilman Arthur Londensky advised the council against going ahead with the agreement. He asked the governing body if a feasibility study was done, noting that Highland Park and North Brunswick tried a similar measure that ultimately failed. He added that a single “control person” at borough hall will not be able to meet the needs of borough residents.
“No one there [at borough hall would be] qualified to see if the permit is complete,” Londensky said.
Projects such as the library renovation being planned in the borough would have no cost if the town’s own department worked on the application, Londensky said. But Old Bridge will charge for plan review and inspection, since “they have to get paid and they’re not employees of South River.”
“That’s not necessarily correct,” Salerno responded.
That can be negotiated with Old Bridge, according to council President David Sliker, a Democrat.
Londensky accused borough officials of wanting to get rid of the construction official and part-time employees who work in the building department.
“It’s the only legal way,” Londensky said. “You can’t fire him.”
“If any one of you vote for this, you don’t deserve to be up front [on the dais],” Londensky added.
Sliker confirmed that construction official David Wroblewski would be laid off in the event that the agreement is approved.
“It is unfortunate,” Sliker said.
Londensky said a bigger town like Old Bridge is unlikely to give a smaller town priority.
“I’m in the business,” Londensky said. “It won’t work.”
Resident Anita Hernstead asked who will handle building variances, and Salerno responded that matters such as that will be decided upon once the borough enters the agreement.
Hernstead voiced support for Wroblewski, the construction official.
“You are making a big mistake,” Hernstead said.
Resident Andrea Londensky, Arthur’s wife, said she is concerned that the control person at borough hall will have to put residents on hold to get answers for them, since the employee will not be as qualified as an inspector or the construction official.
Salerno said the borough would be committing to the agreement for four years, but either party will be able to cancel it with 90 days’ notice, at no cost.
Szegeti said the purpose of the agreement is to improve services in South River. He said the borough has third-party, part-time employees working for the department now, while Old Bridge can provide residents with full-time employees.
Sliker said the governing body cannot hire additional full-time inspectors due to budgetary constraints imposed by the state. He said this is another way of getting additional workers without adding another cost to the budget.
Salerno said similar actions were taken in other municipalities and it has worked in some cases. The reasons it didn’t work in some other towns was due to local territorial disputes and departments that were understaffed with inspectors.
Republican Councilman Raymond Eppinger said this was the first meeting in which the matter was listed on the agenda, though the governing body has been discussing it in closed session for several weeks.
“It probably should wind up on the business agenda first,” Eppinger said.
The contract calls for Old Bridge employees to meet with borough residents an average of four hours per week, Eppinger said. This, he said, will not meet the needs of the community.
“This department is supposed to be self-sustaining,” Eppinger said, adding that he supported the fee increases so that the borough can fund the department without having to go to another municipality for the service.
“If the fees aren’t high enough to do that, we should address that,” Eppinger said.
Old Bridge is significantly larger than South River, Eppinger noted, and its population means that there are a greater number of permits to handle in Old Bridge. If South River does cancel the agreement with a 90-day notice, it will not be easy to get the borough’s own department up and running, especially with newly adopted budget constraints from the state, he said.
Eppinger noted that since the council approved the ordinance to raise construction fees earlier in the meeting, it can use the additional money to properly staff the department.
“Let’s make it work within the borough,” Eppinger said.
Sliker responded by saying that state budget constraints would not allow for that.
“We can’t increase expenditures by 2 percent, so we have to cut,” Sliker said. “How do you increase staff without increasing the budget? The only solution is to try an interlocal agreement with another municipality.”
Sliker told the Sentinel that the building department was not disbanded with the passage of this resolution, and approvals are still needed from Old Bridge and from the state Department of Community Affairs.
If the borough department is disbanded, it will still have a full-time secretary and full-time control employee working in the office, he said.
“The department is becoming backlogged,” Sliker said. “The community is expanding and people are improving their properties. It needs more staffing, but with state budget constraints, we cannot increase the budget in that department. By doing this interlocal agreement, the budgetary operation expenses will remain the same.”
Sliker said that the additional building inspectors in Old Bridge will relieve the borough’s current backlog
“It will be a huge benefit for everyone,” Sliker said.
Phillips said Old Bridge’s building department is experiencing a slowdown because not as many new construction projects are being approved.
“We have everything in place. South River can draw upon our expertise and experiences,” he said.
He said he understands the concerns of South River residents who feel that the borough will not be adequately covered by township inspectors, but he likened the matter to a similar agreement that Old Bridge has with Middlesex County for health department services.
“The county meets our needs,” Phillips said. “We do not have our own health department. We are in a contract with the county. As time goes on and the same people get assigned, [Old Bridge building inspectors] will become part of the South River family.”