Available Part Time Position in the Township Clerk’s Office- Middletown Township; Say What??

After threatening massive police layoffs if the members of the Middletown Police Department did not agree to substance health benefit contributions during contract negotiations, while also placing blame for those potential layoffs on the Middletown Library in order to vilify and extort nearly $500k worth of funds from it’s treasury to balance the Township budget this year, then laying off nearly the entire staff of the Middletown Parks and Recreation Department, leaving just it’s Director Gregg Silva siting behind his desk, canceling the Fall Brush Pick-up (only to pick up the brush in record time anyway due to the after effects of Hurricane Irene), sighting the need to sell the Middletown Swimm Club and canceling Middletown Day; how does the Township has the nerve to announce that it is looking to hire a part-time Clerk????

With everything that has transpired this year in Middletown and the mayor telling everyone that Middletown is broke and needs to cut back on expenses how can the Middletown justify spending money by creating a part-time position to help the full-time Township Clerk Heidi Brunt? What’s the matter can’t she handle the job herself, why does she get extra help at the expense of so many others?

It doesn’t make sense. But then again when does anything in Middletown make sense? Below is the posting for the position that was posted on the Middletown Township website Tuesday.

Clerk/Typist- Responsibilities include office filing, scanning records, records destruction, processing license applications and permits. This is a fast paced office with various different procedures and services. The Township Clerks Office administers the Elections for the Township and required presence to work for each election mandatory. Knowledge of MS Word, Excel, and Outlook a must; ability to create mail merges and spreadsheets with formulas is also required. Knowledge of AR/AP would be helpful as well as knowledge of the Imaging/scanning of records. Lifting filing boxes and climbing stairs is also part of the job duties. Resume may be e-mailed to hbrunt@middletownnj.org or mailed to Township of Middletown, One Kings Highway, Middletown, NJ 07748 by October 12, 2011.

This sounds like a great opportunity for the right person, you better apply now!

>Ordinance 2011-3027 And When Is A Salary Freeze, Not A Salary Freeze Explained: UPDATE

>Earlier today I was contacted by Middletown Township Clerk Heidi Brunt in reference to yesterdays’ blog post, I wasn’t available when first contacted, but I called her back around 4:30 this afternoon.

Ms. Brunt, after reading about my experience trying to get information pertaining to the proposed salary ordinance 2011-3027 (that was to be re-introduced at tonight’s Township Committee meeting) via an OPRA request. She wanted to apologise and clear the air about any misunderstanding that may have arisen from it. Clerk Brunt informed me that there was indeed a list of employees with job title and salaries available to me for the year 2009. She stated that if she had been in the office when I stopped by on Friday she would have presented me with what I requested.

After speaking with her and telling her exactly what I was after she said it was no problem, she requested me to send her an email so that she would have a record of my request. As soon as I sent her the email, with in minutes, she sent me a list for all township employees, their job positions and salaries for the year 2009 (even though I requested 2010). Ms. Brunt stated that to her knowledge, the salaries contained in this document had not changed.

While on the phone with Clerk Brunt, she did volunteer a small bit of information to me. Ms. Brunt mentioned that Tax Assessor Charles Heck and herself were due a 2.5% statutory salary increase for 2011. She informed me that, she, herself, had no intention accepting the raise and as a matter of fact had already turned it down. Her feelings were such that she in good conscience could not accept a raise while others were losing their jobs. She could not say the same of Tax Assessor Heck, who, she believes has not turned down the raise and is planning on accepting it.

Aftyer hanging up with Clerk Brunt it accured to me that I did not follow-up with her about Heck’s $15,000 “bonus” that was part of the ordinance. That is something that needs to be cleared up.

Heck received a salary of $108,572 from Middletown in 2009 which means he is due for an increase of $2714 in base pay increase if he accepts the 2.5% raise. A far cry less than the $15K “bonus” proposed in the ordinance, but which is no less disturbing.

Thank you Clerk Brunt for contacting me and clearing this up!

BTW – as a side note, it accured to me while looking at the list of employees and salaries, that this list doesn’t reflect the employees that retired or were laid off last year (2010), which isn’t a problem. Where the problem lays (and it really isn’t a problem, I just want to point it out) is that last year members of the Police Department were given a retro-active raise of 8% to cover salary increase for 2008 & 2009 in exchange for a 0% raise in 2010 (Gerry Scharfenberger was very proud of this), so I need to add 8% to the base of all members of the Police Department to get an accurate gage for 2011 salaries, which should not be misconstrued to be a jab at the Police.

I believe that the police have a very difficult job and at anytime during the day or night are putting their life on the line to protect other and uphold the law. One never knows when their next traffic stop or domestic dispute call will be their last.