LAWRENCE: Krawczun outlines cuts in municipal jobs

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Township Council is expected to introduce a revised 2012 municipal budget today, Thursday, that calls for a combination of eliminating 14 positions and other cost reductions in an effort to plug a $2.2 million hole in the proposed budget.
   Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight to introduce the revised budget in the Township Council chambers. The council also will meet Wednesday, May 23, at 6:30 p.m. to hold a public hearing on the revised budget and take final action on it.
   Tuesday night, it was standing room only as the council discussed the spending plan and brainstormed to close the revenue gap. All of the seats in the chambers were filled and audience members — including police officers — lined the walls and spilled out into the hallway.
   Incorporating some of Township Council’s suggestions into his recommendations, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun outlined the list of recommended layoffs and vacant positions that would not be filled. At least one position would be eliminated.
   The Police Department would be hardest hit with the loss of five jobs, including three police officers who would be laid off. A police officer who was attending the police academy resigned and that position would not be filled, Mr. Krawczun said. The affected police officers earn salaries that range from $36,835 to $71,991.
   Deputy Chief of Police Joseph Prettyman has announced his retirement, and that position will be eliminated upon his retirement later this year, Mr. Krawczun said. His salary for 2012 is $155,719.
   The layoffs also include a part-time mechanic who maintains the township’s fire trucks, a part-time public health nurse, a clerk in the Tax Collector’s Office, who earns $26,724, and the recreation coordinator in the Recreation Department who earns $52,329. The executive assistant in the Planning and Redevelopment Office, who earns $83,016, would work fewer hours.
   Also included are two paid firefighter positions that have not been filled, pending receipt of the state Civil Service list, Mr. Krawczun said. A secretarial vacancy in the municipal manager’s office would not be filled. The firefighters’ salaries are $21,206 apiece and the secretary would earn $37,777.
   ”This is the minimum staffing that we can (eliminate) at this time,” Mr. Krawczun said, adding that he could not guarantee that there might not be additional layoffs in the future. The deck is stacked against the municipality because of the 2-percent cap on the increase in the municipal tax levy, he added.
   He also suggested additional cost reductions totaling $92,500, which includes a $25,000 reduction in down payment costs for the capital improvement fund. This means eliminating funding for a proposed dog park at Hamnett Park, lighting on the path at Colonial Lake Park, and the 2012 road program which called for repaving Bridle Path and Coach, Paddock and Surrey drives.
   The combined savings for the remainder of 2012 and 2013 total $906,600 — and the township still faces a $1.3 million hole going into the 2013 budget, the municipal manager said.
   Mr. Krawczun said that even with all of the recommended cuts, the issue does not go away. There may be a need to change the brush collection system, the ambulance fees or how the Recreation Department offers recreational programs, he said. These are issues that Township Council may have to consider as it grapples with spending and revenue.
   Township Councilwoman Cathleen Lewis pointed out that even if the township’s financial situation improves, the cuts that have been made will not be able to be restored because of the 2-percent tax levy cap. Services will not be restored, she said.
   During the public participation portion of the meeting, which preceded the budget discussion, audience members — including police union officials — made it clear that the Police Department should not be touched.
   Officer Andrew Lee, who is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 209, told Township Council that two police officers had been attacked in the past couple of weeks. In one case, help was a few seconds away but in the other case, a bystander jumped in to help the police officer until additional officers arrived a few minutes later.
   Layoffs of police officers could result in injury or death to the policemen, Officer Lee said.
   ”Let’s face it. We are the gateway to the City of Trenton. The reason why you don’t have an influx of crime is because of your police force. The Police Department is not a business. It’s a public safety organization that our community relies on to protect their families and property,” Officer Lee said.
   Officer Lee said there are six police officers on duty daytime — at least one or two of whom are assigned to serve as dispatchers — and four officers at night to cover the entire township. The overtime pay is “outrageous,” he said. Ten years ago, there were more than 70 police officers, but through attrition, that number has declined to about 63 today, he said.
   He asked the council to consider what would happen if they went home and confronted a burglar. They would immediately call 911 and expect a police officer to be dispatched. But fewer police officers means there may not be an officer nearby. It will take time for the officers to arrive because they are coming from other parts of the township, he said.