PRINCETON: Municipalities to work together on filling jobs

By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
   The Borough Council and Township Committee have agreed to discuss future hires and work with each other when filling positions or looking at alternate solutions as the communities work toward consolidation.
   Any potential vacancies that need to be filled will need to be discussed with the appropriate subcommittee of the Transition Task Force and eventually the governing bodies.
   Initially, the governing bodies were asked to consider a hiring moratorium.
   Both governments have several openings on their staffs.
   In 2011, the township had 13 positions that turned over, mostly from CornerHouse, said Township Administrator Jim Pascale. Of those open positions, eight were funded by grants.
   Currently, the Recreation Department has three openings due to promotions within; finance and tax assessors’ office each have one opening.
   The most critical openings for the township are the two vacancies for patrolmen to meet minimum staffing requirements in the Police Department, after a reduction in staffing.
   ”We’ve been advertising and are in the midst of recruiting at the moment,” said Mr. Pascale.
   There has been $35,000 in police overtime due to the manpower shortage. He also pointed to the consolidation report and recommendations that were made for a consolidated police department based on full staffing.
   Mr. Pascale is not opposed to a moratorium, but he is opposed to a blanket moratorium.
   ”That’s not good management,” he said. “You want to keep flexibility for Bob (Bruschi, borough administrator), who have been here for many decades, to tell you if there is a vacancy that you really should fill it.”
   Mr. Bruschi agreed, saying the governing bodies need flexibility.
   He said there have been staff reductions in recent years to keep costs down, so this might not be the right time for a moratorium.
   The borough’s personnel openings include a building inspector, a labor position, a clerk and two openings each for dispatchers and in public works.
   Mr. Bruschi suggested the two communities rely on each other to assist with covering the open positions when possible.
   Committeewoman Sue Nemeth said departments where public safety are involved are “a different issue in my mind” and said they need flexibility for public safety.
   Township Police Commissioner Bernie Miller said consistent overtime isn’t a good thing either, especially for those working the extra hours.
   Mayor Yina Moore asked if holding open the position of dispatcher would place the borough at risk.
   Mr. Bruschi said he worked it out with the police chief, and even though it is costing overtime, the overtime costs are less than hiring someone.
   Councilman Roger Martindell agreed paying overtime was a better solution and overtime is “pocket change” when considering the costs of salaries and benefits.
   Borough Police Commissioner Kevin Wilkes pointed out the timing of police hires is an issue, since new policies and procedures are going to be written for the new department. He said it doesn’t make sense to hire officers now, train them under existing rules and then retrain them again at the end of the year for the new policies that have yet to be written.
   The first to test the process will be the township, which will have to wait to see about filling its police openings and discuss its needs with the Task Force.
   Township Police will now have to fill an additional officer position after the department no longer employs one of its newest hires.
   Patrolman Chris Boller resigned to return to his Ewing post after being sworn in January. He came to the township after being laid off from the Ewing force last year.
   ”I will be guided by what the township committee tells me what to do,” said the township police Chief Robert Buchanan. He will discuss the issue with Task Force public safety committee at meeting today, March 2.