MARLBORO — Nine long-term employees of the township were informed on Jan. 21 that their jobs are being eliminated.
Mayor Jonathan Hornik said notices were sent to those individuals to make them aware of the municipal downsizing. Hornik said the actions are ones that no mayor or governing body ever wishes to take.
During the Township Council’s Jan. 22 meeting, Hornik said Marlboro is facing a $6.3 million gap in surplus compared to last year’s numbers. The mayor said that at a recent meeting with Gov. Jon Corzine, administratorswere told to expect another cut in the neighborhood of $500,000 to the amount of state aid municipalities receive.
“We can no longer as a township afford to live beyond our means,” the mayor said.
He said the administration cannot look to raising taxes to try and fill such gaps, which is why the layoffs of municipal employees became necessary.
“On a personal note, I feel absolutely terrible having to fire even one person. I really consider many of the people who work in this township as a part of my family. And it’s a very difficult decision for any mayor to make in good times, (and) in bad times it’s even harder. I will tell you that it is the 100 percent correct decision based on the finances of Marlboro today,” Hornik said.
The positions that are being eliminated were not immediately available.
The mayor went on to say that additional cuts are being made and he said the perks some employees may have come to expect will be gone, including holiday parties.
“Coffee was costing us several thousand dollars a year, it’s gone from the municipal offices. If we’re going to ask people to give up their jobs, we’re going to give up every perk we have here,” Hornik said.
He said the times ahead would still be difficult and said no municipality is immune to these challenging times.
— Rebecca Morton