Middletown Files Layoff Plan
Mayor Fiore Hopeful That Some Police Jobs Can Be Save Through Union Concessions And Tapping The Library’s $1.2 Million Surplus
MIDDLETOWN – The Township Committee has directed the Township Administrator to file a layoff plan with the State Civil Service Commission to address significant and continuing declines in municipal revenue and to conform with the 2% cap levy law.
“Recent budget analysis prepared by the Township’s Chief Financial Officer have made it readily apparent that the Township is left with no option but to immediately begin the process of initiating another round of significant layoffs,” said Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore. “We are hopeful that some police jobs can be saved through reasonable concessions by the Township’s collective bargaining units and with assistance from the Middletown Library’s $1.2 million surplus.”
“Committeeman Kevin Settembrino, the Committee’s representative on the Middletown Library’s independent board, has specifically requested that it authorize payment of $898,000 of the Library’s $1.2 million surplus that will have no impact on the Library’s operations so that additional police layoffs can be averted,” continued Fiore. “Nobody can be immune from cuts in this current economic climate, but we must first focus on essential core government services such as providing police protection and maintaining municipal roadways.”
Budget & Layoff Facts
The layoff plan was filed with the State Civil Service Commission on Friday, February 11, 2011 with notice to the affected employees and unions, proposing the elimination of 26 total positions, as follows:
Department of Parks & Recreation (13 positions), which eliminates every position but for the Director essentially eliminating the Department. Most of these positions cannot be saved absent an extraordinary change in projected municipal revenues and major concessions.
- Police Department (10 positions) with demotions proposed too. The $898,000 requested from the Library’s $1.2 million surplus to avert further police layoffs represents the amount of the municipal budget that pays the debt service for the library renovation project, $565,000, plus the amount of contribution mandated by statute that will decrease due to changes in the Townships overall valuation resulting from the reassessment totaling $333,000 in 2012.
§ Building Office (1 position).
§ Department of Finance (1 position).
§ The Municipal Court (1 position).
The projected effective date of the Layoff Plan is Friday, April 29, 2011.
- Despite more than $3 million of reductions in budget appropriations, revenues have decreased approximately $7.4 million, leaving an estimated budget shortfall of $4.4 million.
- The largest source of revenue loss continues to be from tax appeals that represent a total of approximately $4.9 million, which is one of the principal reasons why the Township is currently completing a Township-wide reassessment.
- The Township eliminated 40 positions last year through layoffs, retirements and resignations.
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Another town standing up to the unions.
What? no mention of laying off the assistant planner or assistant administrator.
Both positions created last year while 40 other positions were eliminated.
What? no mention of laying off the assistant planner or assistant administrator.
Both positions created last year while 40 other positions were eliminated.
Art – this is an outright lie. Both positions were in place for years, in fact, other towns and cities the size of Middletown have much larger staffs to run these respective offices. This poster is one of the hapless Democrats who will desperately try to find anything to try and turn back the Republican tide. How does it feel to have you and your union benefactors headed for another beating?
Somehow the point that if the unions give concessions and the library stops hoarding money jobs can be saved was missed on the hapless Democrat in the room.
Why eliminate Parks and Rec, but not the director??
Silva should have been booted long ago, but is protected by civil service.
This latest scheme is extortion.
The budget has been a mess for more than 3 years and they’ll steal from anywhere for a quick fix.
Do something about the Art Center and Swim club. What about the Sewage Authority?
Do we really need to pay salaries and benefits for a no longer needed department?
Show some leadership for a change, and stop blaming others because they know how to manage their budgets.
The swim club is for sale.
The Arts Center is on the list
The Sewerage Authority has been contributing to the Township like the Library should.
The Library budget has nothing to do with how well they do but with the flood of cash they receive by statutory requirement. You should get your facts straight. Maybe the Township needs a “finance committee”.
The swim club is finally for sale? It took the TC how many years to decide to finally do what Short & Byrnes had recommended?
What do you mean the Art Center is on the list? For what, sale? That 6 mil elephant cost way too much. Another genius idea that backfired which costs us dearly.
The Township most definitely needs a finance committee and has for some time. No one has any budget experience.
As far as the library’s statutory requirement, it doesn’t really matter. The Township’s $48 mil budget hasn’t been managed properly. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, it matters how you spend it. The TC has clearly been irresponsible with that duty.
Ok this is a start by laying off these people. Let’s turn it up a notch, lay off all DPW people and subcontract out the work they do. I have never seen DPW pave roads they patch holes that become holes again within a week. I have followed the DPW trucks and have found them sleeping in the trucks. Taking hour and a half lunches going back to Kane’s lane at 2:00 pm not leaving the Lane till around 8:00 am. 4 and a half hour work day must be nice! And at that if it’s cold out they drive around wasting gas. During leaf season there are 8 guys standing around and 2 guys working. When it snows out I have found them sleeping in their trucks at night making time in a half and sometimes double time. Time for the gravy boat to stop! get rid of the lot of them. Contract everything out if not then let me tell you I will be taking video and pictures and will be showing up at the town meeting asking for an answer .
Increasingly lousy school system, vanishing public library, insufficient police protection- all the reasons to live in Middletown are quickly evaporating. We better all start getting along with our neighbors since the lousy housing market coupled with the Township Committee’s bent on Middletown’s destruction, means we’ll be looking at the same faces for a very long time.
Tony, I agree with you. I think this is all a bluff. Time to change things and show some leadership.
I’ve been to numerous meetings lately and the poster named “Jeff” sounds exactly like a little know it all with a bad toupee who goes to the meetings and has all the answers. He’s also the guy whose neighbor ran for town council and made a complete fool of herself. As with most know it alls, he knows very little. His stupid mention of the sewer authority proves it – my sewer rates are way lower than friends in neighboring towns and the sewer authority has nothing to do with the town budget. That’s stupid comment number one. Stupid comment number two. Stealing money from the library? Those are my tax dollars. The library flies in puppet shows from Timbuktu because they have more money than they know what to do with. Stupid comment three. The budget is a mess. I’ve looked all over the state and this town spends way less than most cities and towns. Stupid comment four. This toupee looks good.
If the library wastes monumental amounts of money, then they have been doing the same thing for years. Why have we never heard about this before? We vote in the members of the Township Committee to be stewards of our tax dollars in good times (economies) and bad. The Republicans have been running the show for years in Middletown with nary a peep about our wasteful library system.
Reality check, sounds like you think you know it all. You’ve got me confused with another Jeff. I don’t know have a neighbor who ran for town council. Number one we don’t have a town council and number two, the young lady who ran did rather well.
Maybe you should run since you think you know it all. Then again you would fit right in with the idiots up there.
Number three, the sewage authority is not needed. Its a graveyard for Republican faithfuls. Exactly the thing our Gov. Christie wants to do away with.
Number four, our town’s budget is considerably worse than most of our surrounding towns. Defending those who are responsible for this mess, just proves you’re as pathetic as the rest of them.
Reality check, Why is it when someone writes here your only defense is to insult the writer? Who cares if someone wears a toupee? Why do you try and expose who you think is the writer? Are you willing to expose yourself?
Bringing up a candidate who by the way I voted for and I am a Republican is just another childish action and adds to your lack of credibility.
The Republicans in this town are becoming more wise to the fact that the people in charge have not done their job. It’s not just from one year, this has been going on for several. There has been no leadership and no long term planning. That’s why many crossed party lines and voted for the Democratic candidates for township committee.
It looks like it’s going to be a tough year and the Republicans can’t point the finger at anyone else. Although they will certainly try and blame many when all they have to do is look in the mirror.
Kathy – your emotion is a turn on babe, but your grasp of the facts is lacking. The reason that the town council is all Republican is because people like the fact that they have made our town one of the top places to live in the country and that our great governor has teamed with Middletown time and again as he saves NJ from the liberal Democrats and their union goons who have nearly destroyed it. I have lived in five counties in this state and the leadership in Middletown, minus the two whacky Democrats, is head and shoulders above any in the state. I read that we have one of the lowest government spending in the entire state. That is what is most impressive. By the way, the candidate you proudly voted for finished dead last. And for the record, toupees are stupid – unless there is a bird nesting in one.
Reality Check- Your arrogance and rhetoric is a turn off.
You sound like a clone of Scharfenberger.
I used like the guy, but he’s proven to be an incompetent leader and a liar. I don’t like Fiore either. There’s a mob mentality in the way they conduct business in Middletown.
You need a reality check if you think Middletown is Camelot and I’ve lived here all my life. I’m facing reality and I’ve seen the change. You can’t blame Middletown’s problems on the Dems. They don’t and haven’t have had any power. That’s the reality Gerry. How’s your new job?
Reality Check ….The fact that you have to mention that someone wears a toupee proves your a jerk and a liar. This guy Jeff probably has more brains than you, and it appears he’s gotten under your skin.
How is the new job going?
Reality check, you need a reality check.