Public hearings will be held Dec. 19 on two ordinances introduced by the commissioners on Dec. 5 that set salary ranges for municipal employees.
One ordinance was introduced establishing police salary ranges for the following: chief of police, from $162,309 to $201,100; two deputy chiefs, $147,572 to $182,842; three captains, $123,085 to $166,244; nine lieutenants, $106,137 to $143,345; 18 sergeants at $91,536 to $123,615; 90 patrolmen, $27,500 to $107,488; and one police surgeon at $15,000 to $25,000.
An ordinance was also introduced setting minimum and maximum salary ranges for various township workers. They include assistant chief fiscal officer, from $45,000 to $72,000; chief EMT (part time), $40,000 to $52,500; deputy chief (part-time), $35,000 to $47,000; director of health and welfare/health Officer, $22,000 to $170,000; senior clerk, $14,000 to $60,500; senior clerk typist, $15,000 to $57,500; supervisor of streets, $10,000 to $73,000; and confidential assistant, $20,000 to $30,000.
Alcoholic Beverage Control Board members Anthony Ferraro and Dorothy Andretta were re-appointed to that board, which decides on liquor licenses and holds hearings when bars are accused of violations. Ferraro was appointed for three years as clerk while Andretta has a one-year term as secretary.
“Before we turned any money over to Mr. Wiley we contacted the attorney general’s office to find out what their view was.” – Herbert Klitzner
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An ordinance was introduced that establishes fees for obtaining bidding documentation that will not exceed $50 or the cost of reproducing the paperwork.
The critics have their moment
In the portion of the meeting for members of the public to speak, Larry Wainstein, co-chairman of the North Bergen Concerned Citizens Group, said he was astonished that at the Nov. 20 commissioners meeting no one cared to elaborate about a resolution passed that would pay former Department of Public Works Superintendent James Wiley for unused sick and vacation days, despite his guilty plea for using DPW workers for his own benefit and for political campaigns.
“On November 20 you passed a resolution awarding $70,781 to a [criminal],” said Wainstein.
The agenda for that meeting noted Wiley’s retirement in August. That took place just before he pleaded guilty to using town employees for his household chores, construction projects at his home, and political campaign work in nearby towns. According to the Nov. 20 agenda, his unused sick and vacation days and compensatory time through the “Salary & Wage Adjustment Program” comes to a total of $70,871.
However, according to Township Attorney Herbert Klitzner the town will not have to pay out all of the money. Due to Wiley’s guilty plea, the township is entitled to $10,820 in restitution, according to a letter dated Oct. 25 from the state Division of Criminal Justice. The town will also get an additional $16,193 in related expenses, for a total of $27,013.
Wiley will be paid the $43,768 balance in two equal installments.
Klitzner responded to Wainstein’s question.
“The township has been in cooperation with the attorney general’s office with regards to the money that [Wiley] was entitled to receive,” said Klitzner. “A person is not stripped of their property by reason of a conviction or admission of guilt. There are certain penalties which are imposed but they’re not stripped of their property. Before we turned any money over to Mr. Wiley we contacted the attorney general’s office to find out what their view was on restitution. We also deducted money for attorney’s fees.”
Gary Pollack brought up $1 million that he claimed Union City Mayor Brian Stack said North Bergen received from the Port Authority, which town officials denied in unison.
“I’m going to have to discuss that with [Stack],” said Pollack.
Contracts
The Board of Commissioners has awarded a contract to RSC Architects of Cliffside Park to perform architectural work on an as-needed basis, and introduced two ordinances setting salary ranges for municipal employees.
“For the first time the town has decided that they need an architect that they can turn to in the event that they need any architectural service done,” said Business Administrator Christopher Pianese after the Dec. 5 commissioners meeting. “It’s based on a percentage of the cost of the job. They have a lot of experience in Hudson County and we felt that it was in our best interest to hire them.”
Pianese said the firm will be hired on a case-by-case basis at $145 per hour. The contract runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2013.
Two companies that performed cleanup services after Hurricane Sandy were awarded emergency contracts to pay for their work.
According to Pianese, Cardella Trucking Company, Inc., of North Bergen, was hired during the storm to get rid of debris and recycling, and will be paid $11,820. Reliable Tree Service, Inc., of Cliffside Park, was hired to get rid of downed trees and will be paid a total of $4,500. A third contract was awarded to Trius, Inc., of Bohemia, N. Y. for $88,600, which Pianese said would pay for a sweeper’s body that was placed onto an existing truck to be used by the Department of Public Works.
Vanessa Cruz can be reached at vcruz@hudsonreporter.com