Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • December 14, 2011 Waldwick Waldwick Police will be working 12hour shifts under an innovative modified program developed by Lt. Edward Weber to comply with a labor arbitrator’s decision rendered in June . The borough council approved the six-month pilot program last week so Weber can develop a schedule effective Jan. 1. “You can expect a 25 percent reduction in overtime,” said Lt. Weber. “If there is no 25 percent reduction, the program ends in June. If it works, it will be extended until December 2013,” when the current three-year contract with the PBA expires. All officers will work the same number of hours as now annually – 2,184 hours. The hourly rate per officer will be calculated at 2,080 hours. Borough Administrator Gary Kratz said that the overtime reduction has the potential of saving the borough $40,000 a year. “It’s not just a give. There are signifi- Pilot program approved for 12-hour police shifts cant savings tied to the success of this. It has benchmarks, and it addresses the highest areas of call volume,” Kratz said, noting that Lt. Weber’s proposal is not offered in “other 12-hour programs elsewhere.” “You thought outside the box; it’s appealing,” said Councilman Don Sciolaro. He urged Weber to develop metrics to measure productivity as a means of determining success beyond the dollar savings. Instead of the current eight-hour shifts in which officers work seven straight days before getting either two or three days off, the new schedule will provide for four straight days of work in three 12-hour shifts per day, with two junior officers working overlapping shifts. This structure will even out uneven squads and allow for a more effective distribution of police officers during peak hours, according to Webber. The night shift will end at 7:30 a.m. instead of 7 a.m., allowing for more convenient coverage of school traffic, when necessary, thus further reducing overtime. All benefits will be converted to hours, allowing for more flexible and practical use of vacation, holiday or personal time. Officers will now have off in the course of a year 18 full weekends and 12 partial weekends, instead of the current 14 full weekends and no partial weekends. Councilwoman Anita Bozzo expressed concern that the 12-hour structure is more conducive to officers taking on second jobs. “They are well paid; I don’t want it to become a problem,” Bozzo said. Chief Mark Messner said that a second job has to be approved by the chief, and there are remedies to deal with any effect it would have on the officer’s primary responsibilities. He added that a balance with their personal life is more important to officers than money. The borough’s police force is presently comprised of a lieutenant, a detective sergeant, four patrol sergeants, and 12 patrol officers, in addition to the chief. Waldwick Borough Administrator Gary Kratz has been named president of the New Jersey Municipal Management Association. Kratz has been a member of the organization, which includes over 250 members, for approximately 30 years. The association is concerned with the education of its members, the promotion of good management practices, and the interchange of ideas, the new president explained. Kratz has served as Waldwick’s administrator since 1986. Since he joined the borough, Kratz has coordinated the design and provided construction supervision on projects that built or altered all municipal buildings. He has also prepared all annual municipal budgets, financial forecasting, and debt refinancing programs for the borough. He has been integral in securing $14 million in grants or low-interest financing for the borough from the state and federal governments. Kratz manages all aspects of municipal operations, including the public safety, public works, recreation, and tax revenue Kratz to head association departments. He is also responsible for the personnel administration for approximately 100 employees. His responsibilities in Waldwick also include service as the public agency compliance officer and as lead negotiator in collective bargaining with employee unions. Kratz is municipal housing liaison and municipal recycling coordinator. He is also a state-certified qualified purchasing agent. Before he joined Waldwick’s administration, Kratz spent five years as administrator of the Borough of Stanhope. From 1977 to 1981, he served the City of New Rochelle, New York as director of emergency services and assistant to the city manager. Kratz received a bachelor of arts degree in government from Monmouth College and subsequently earned his master of public administration degree from Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He is a member of the International City Management Association, and received the NJMMA’s Outstanding Municipal Manager Award in 2002.