As 'Layoff Date' Looms, Brick Budget Still Under Review

As March 30 draws closer, township employees and residents continue to wonder who will provide a number of public services in the coming months.

March 30 is the date public works employees were told would be their last day of work in Brick, according to layoff notices that went out Feb. 15. But with a municipal operating budget still not adopted by the township council, the plan to with private contractors could be delayed.

Depending on the contents of the budget eventually adopted by the council, the layoff plan could be scuttled altogether.

Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis has proposed a municipal budget for this year that eliminates the department, which he says will eventually save taxpayers about $8.1 million, or $245 per year for the average homeowner. The tax cuts would come at a cost of public solid waste and recycling collection, the road department, mechanics for township vehicles and crews to treat roadways during snow storms, however.

"Morale is low, needless to say," said John Menshon, a public works employee and chairman of Transport Workers Union Local 225, Branch 4.

"I get to see the very real aspect of this," Menshon said, speaking of his fellow workers who he represents. "This is their livelihood."

Menshon said a grievance the union has is still pending.

The township council now holds most of the power, as the elected governing body – not the mayor – has the final say over the township's budget. Several council members have openly stated they are against the mayor's plan, including Councilman Dan Toth.

"I am not taking the mayor's proposed budget," Toth said. "That is not even an option for me."

The March 30 date referenced in the to employees doesn't necessarily mean the department must shut down that day if the municipal budget has yet to be adopted by the council. Thus far in 2012, a series of temporary budget appropriations has kept the township operating at the same staffing levels as 2011.

"My ultimate goal, long term, is stability," Toth said, adding that he would like to see an examination of various township departments to see where staffing could be cut. He said he does not support the elimination of any department, however.

Council President John Ducey said because the budget wasn't presented to the council until Feb. 18, it may take until the end of March to introduce a final spending plan.

"The deadline was Feb. 3 or the first meeting after Feb. 3," Ducey said in an e-mail. "These deadlines are routinely missed by towns and are more for guidance."

"We plan on taking at least those extra 18 days before introducing our budget because we need time to review the budget which I have been told by [Business Administrator] Scott Pezzarus took three months to create," Ducey said.

The budget may be introduced on or near March 27, he said.

Though the council can certify any budget amount and, thus, the township's tax levy for 2012, the mayor still holds the power to effectuate layoffs. Acropolis has indicated, however, that he will go along with whatever the council decides.

"If the council decides to increase the budget by 8 cents, those types of things can be put back in the budget," Acropolis said during his budget presentation last month, referring to reinstating public works if the council increases his proposed spending plan.

There is no mention of a budget adoption vote on the agenda for tonight's council caucus meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the township .

A copy of the agenda does call for detailed budget presentations from the heads of the clerk, council and elections, and police departments.