Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • May 9, 2012 Mahwah Township council introduces new salary ordinance by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has introduced an ordinance that sets the 2012 minimum and maximum salary ranges for the township’s white and blue collar employees of the United Public Service Employees Union and the Mahwah Policemen’s Benevolent Association. The ordinance, which is retroactive to Jan. 1, implements the previous agreements the township reached with those unions last year, and lists the salary ranges for the mayor, council, and administration. The ordinance reflects the 2.5 percent increase that was approved last year in the two-year contracts with the three unions for employees at the top of the grade. Each of those contracts continues to contain a salary guide which increases annually with a negotiated rate and enables all covered employees to reach the top wage of their title in a structured time frame. The increases on the salary guides are greater each year than the 2.5 percent salary increase an employee would receive when reaching the top of the salary guide, so those employees who receive a step increase in 2012 will not receive an across the board increase on July 1, 2012. Councilman Harry Williams voted against the introduction of the ordinance in keeping with his vote against the contracts last year. At that time, he explained that he thought the township conceded too much when the contracts were settled. “I objected to these contracts last year, and they didn’t get any better, so I vote no,” he said. The rest of the council members, except for Lisa DiGiulio, who was absent from the meeting, voted to introduce the salary ordinance. The ordinance includes part time and hourly rates for various administrative and executive positions, seasonal positions in the department of public works and the municipal pool, the department of police, recreation, the department of inspections, and the municipal court. The salaries are listed with minimum and maximum salary ranges for the mayor and council, the township clerk’s office, and the employee positions in all the departments. However, it contains no increase in the salary for the mayor or the other elected members of the council. According to Township Administrator Brian Campion, minimum and maximum salary levels are used for each full time position because some positions have employees at different salary levels, or steps in the pay grade, due to length of service. Ranges also allow the township to hire new employees at a lower salary than the previous employee was receiving. According to the 2012 salary ordinance, the mayor receives an annual salary of $15,000, the council president receives a salary of $8,000, and council members receive salaries of $7,000 each. The salary ranges for some other positions listed in the ordinance include: township clerk, $48,000 to $69,566; deputy township clerk, $47,004 to $57,970; and switchboard operator/clerk, $31,335 to $47,737. The following ranges are also included: township administrator, $90,000 to $176,606; administrative assistant, $54,837 to $67,371; executive secretary, $47,004 to $64,197; chief financial officer, $60,000 to $121,378; assistant to the chief financial officer, $47,004 to $64,197; tax collector, $48,000 to $69,588; deputy tax collector, $47,004 to $56,404; senior account clerk, $31,355 to $47,737; tax assessor, $48,000 to $103, 646; and principal assessor clerk, $31,335 to $43,870. Salary ranges also include: director of human services, $40,000 to $66,842; administrative secretary, $39,170 to $48,569; director of the senior citizens’ center, $35,000 to $53,338; administrative officer/zoning officer, $0 to $5,000; planning board administrative clerk/soil clerk, $$47,004 to $64,197; zoning/property maintenance inspector, $31,335 to $43,870; director of public works, $60,000 to $109,600; administrative clerk, $47,004 to $51,703; superintendent/ DPW, $55,000 to $94,363; senior environmental health specialist, $62,671 to $80,659; environmental health specialist, $54,837 to $72,428; and administrative secretary/registrar of vital statistics, $47,004 to $59,537. Police salary ranges include: police chief, $159,894 to $180,688; detective captain and captain, $141,771 to 167,989; detective lieutenant, $144,771 to $148,390; lieutenant, $140,753 to $144,272; detective sergeant, $136,734 to $140,152; sergeant, $132,718 to $136,036; detective, $128,700 to $131,918; patrol officer, $41,854 to $127,796. In the department of inspections, the ranges include: construction code official, $60,000 to 117,434, and building inspector, $62,671 to $80,659. Additional salary ranges are: director of the department of emergency services, $2,000 to $5,000; coordinator of emergency management services, $2,000 to $10,000; fire chief, $2,000 to $6,500; fire prevention bureau official, $2,000 to $11,348; fire inspector, $54,837 to $72,428; municipal court judge, $15,000 to $46,715; municipal court administrator, $40,000 to $69,296; deputy court administrator, $39,170 to $50,136; superintendent water/sewers, $55,000 to $95,618; foreman of water/sewers, $62,291 to $85,781; municipal pool manager, $5,000 to $31,056; and recreation director/part time, $12,500 to $41,587.