The governing body had reduced this year’s budget by more than a million dollars.
The 2009 budget introduced at the March 26 Upper Freehold Township Committee meeting was slashed by 18.2 percent from the previous year. This year’s budget totals $5,378,000, reduced from last year’s budget of $6,576,699. The township’s chief financial officer, Dianne Kelly, reported that all employees had a 10 percent pay cut, with the exception of fire department personnel and the Drug Alliance coordinator.
“The Drug Alliance coordinator is a county grant position and the salary is offset by the grant, so that was unaffected,” she said.
There were several layoffs, including one part-time building inspector, one fulltime administrative assistant, one part-time land use administrative assistant, one parttime municipal court clerical assistant, and a part-time recreation director. One fulltime building inspector was cut back to part time, and one full-time technical assistant to the construction official was also cut back to part time. Kelly said that the duties that are affected by the cutbacks are being completed by the remaining staff.
“For instance, another technical assistant to the construction official is being reallocated to the duties that the recreation director previously performed, and remaining personnel in other departments will cover absences in other offices when necessary,” Kelly said.
She added that a vacancy in the public works department was not filled.
Other reductions include expected savings in the following areas: reduction in the need for field inspectors in the area of tax assessment; reduction in the cost of utilities and gasoline with the implementation of a four-day workweek; cellular telephone savings by restructuring current contracts; reduction in legal, engineering and planning services; and reduction in costs for the municipal court officer. The township’s annual Community Day was also eliminated, she said.
A hearing on the budget will be held at the May 7 Township Committee meeting at 7 p.m.