By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
ROBBINSVILLE — The Township Council will hold public hearings next week on three ordinances, including one authorizing $1.4 million in borrowing for various capital projects.
The two remaining ordinances would set the 2012 salaries for top municipal officials as well as establish no-parking zones along county Route 526.
The public hearing and adoption vote on the ordinances will be held at the next Township Council meeting at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, June 28. All three ordinances were introduced June 14.
The first ordinance would authorize the issuance of $1,409,325 in general improvement bonds or notes and also appropriate the $74,175 needed in down payments for numerous projects totaling $1,483,500.
The proposed spending is for Public Works equipment ($397,000); Police Department equipment ($107,000); a new firetruck and equipment for the Division of Fire ($707,000); various road and drainage improvement projects ($250,000); recreation equipment ($6,500); and office furniture and equipment for the Senior Center and courtroom ($16,000), according to the ordinance.
The second ordinance would prohibit parking along parts of county Route 526, also known locally as Robbinsville-Edinburg Road, Main Street and Robbinsville-Allentown Road. The ordinance does not identify where exactly these no-parking zones would be located. It says only the ban would be in effect wherever the county installs no-parking signs on Route 526.
Police Lt. Scott Texidor said the ordinance was being introduced at the suggestion of the county due to numerous complaints about people parking on the side of the road either because they don’t want to park in their driveways or because they are advertising vehicles for sale.
Township Attorney Mark Roselli said the ban wouldn’t apply to the entire length of Route 526, only certain sections, but it would have been too difficult to try to identify each location in the ordinance. It was simpler to write the ban applies along the entire length of the road wherever there are signs posted, he said.
The parking ban will not take effect until no-parking signs are installed by the county following the adoption of the ordinance, he said.
The last ordinance establishes the 2012 salaries for the mayor, council members and top administration employees, retroactive to Jan. 1.
All officials are getting 2 percent raises, however, certain employees are getting larger increases because of promotions or increased job responsibilities.
Police Chief Marty Masseroni is slated to get a $20,000 raise that will increase his salary to $146,995 for as long as he remains in charge of both the fire and police departments. The higher salary is retroactive to May 1, the day former Fire Director John Archer officially retired.
Business Administrator Joy Tozzi will receive $85,000. Ms. Tozzi had been the township’s assistant business administrator and had been paid $68,195 prior to her promotion earlier this year.
Tim McGough will be paid $159,681 as the township engineer, director of community development and director of economic development. This is a 2 percent increase from his former salary as township engineer and business administrator.
The mayor’s salary is being increased 27 percent from $7,958 to $10,117. The five members of Township Council will have their salaries increased 2 percent from $4,775 to $4,870.
In an interview after the meeting, Mayor David Fried took issue with complaints about staff salaries that have been aired by some members of the public at recent council meetings.
Mr. Fried said that in 2009 there was a business administrator ($99,000), an administrative assistant ($45,000) and an assistant business administrator ($64,000) who collectively earned $208,000. In 2012, the township is spending $46,000 less because the combined salaries of the new business administrator, the executive administrative assistant and communications coordinator is $162,000. There is no longer an assistant business administrator since Ms. Tozzi’s promotion, and the communications coordinator is a consultant, not a township employee.
Asked if he intended to hire an assistant business administrator, a position the town has had since 2009 and a move that likely would negate the $46,000 savings, Mr. Fried said there was no money in the budget to do that.
Overall spending in the township engineering office is also down from 2009, Mr. Fried said.
In 2009, there was a director of community development ($116,000); a construction inspector ($52,000); a planning and zoning board secretary ($51,000); an administrative officer ($45,000); and a part-time administrative assistant ($17,000), who collectively were paid $281,000, Mr. Fried said.
In 2012, the town is spending $11,000 less on engineering office salaries because there is no longer an administrative assistant or construction inspector. Mr. McGough is doing the work formerly done by the construction inspector, he said.

