Jamesburg OKs 4-year contract with PBA

BY JAMES McEVOY
Staff Writer

JAMESBURG — The Borough Council has formally submitted a four-year contract proposal to the local Police Benevolent Association.

Officials declined to release details of the proposed deal, though Mayor Anthony LaMantia told the public during a meeting last week that the deal is retroactive one year, to include 2011. The previous police contract expired Dec. 31, 2010.

The council unanimously approved the proposal following a brief executive session during the Dec. 21 meeting.

Borough Attorney Joseph D. Youssouf said the proposal would now be submitted to the PBA for a vote. If the PBA ratifies the contract, it will become a binding agreement between the two parties, and the council will have to then amend the borough’s salary ordinance to reflect any changes in police salaries, Youssouf said.

A public hearing will be held during the amendment process, and additional details of the agreement will be released to the public, the attorney said.

Prior to the vote, resident Tom van de Sande advised the council to vote against any proposal that would further burden taxpayers through salary increases.

“How can you justify any increase? The town hasn’t grown,” van de Sande said. “I believe property owners are being overtaxed. How do you expect to generate revenue? Where is it going to come from if there’s an increase in fact being negotiated?

“I believe a tax increase is not up for negotiation,” he added.

After the meeting, LaMantia praised the borough’s negotiating team and expressed relief that the biggest step in the process was finished.

“Hopefully the police department will understand our situation and ratify it, and we can move forward,” he said.

During his Personnel Committee report, Councilman Gregory Newton said officials could begin to focus energies on other pending contracts if the PBA ratifies the deal.

“That frees us to start negotiations with the chief’s contract. We are also in negotiations for the new renewal of the Department of Public Works contracts, so we’re busy,” Newton said.

Contract negotiations with borough police dispatchers are also ongoing, he said.

The Jamesburg PBA did not respond to a request for comment for this story.