The North Bergen Board of Commissioners has introduced an ordinance that would amend the salary ranges for a number of municipal employees.
The move at the Nov. 10 meeting follows similar recent proposed ordinances in Hoboken and West New York. The ordinance would amend the maximum and minimum salaries for an array of municipal employees, but does not grant anyone at Town Hall a raise.
According to the proposed ordinance, some “Schedule A” or competitive salary ranges include positions such as: Bi-Lingual Administrative Clerk ranging from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $102,000; Assistant Fiscal Officer ranging from $50,000 to $130,000; Assistant Public Works Superintendent ranging from $50,000 to $129,000; Building Sub-Code Official ranging from $40,000 to $107,000; Clerk 2 ranging from $35,000 to $100,000; Director of Health and Welfare ranging from $75,000 to $250,000; Director of Community Improvements ranging from $90,000 to $150,000; Director of Automotive Services ranging from $30,000 to $137,000; Municipal Court Administrator ranging from $50,000 to $122,000; Municipal Park Superintendent ranging from $50,000 to $130,000; Public Works Superintendent ranging from $75,000 to $168,000; Purchasing Agent ranging from $85,000 to $142,000; and Road Repair Supervisor ranging from $60,000 to $115,000. These are just a few of the positions and their would-be salary ranges under the proposed ordinance.
Other salary ranges would be amended for “Schedule B” or non-competitive salaries. Under “Schedule C” or unclassified salaries, the ranges would be amended for a number of positions including: Chief Financial Officer ranging from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $160,000; Deputy Director ranging from $30,000 to $140,000; Municipal Court Judge ranging from $50,000 to $176,000; Municipal Administrator ranging from $90,000 to $231,000; Municipal Clerk ranging from $40,000 to $116,000; Tax Assessor ranging from $25,000 to $117,000; and Tax Collector and Tax Search Officer ranging from $20,000 to $131,000.
A public hearing on the ordinance will be held at the next Board of Commissioners meeting on Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. at Town Hall at 4233 Kennedy Boulevard. For more information, go to northbergen.org and click on the event in the calendar webpage.
New payment schedule for board members too
The board also adopted an ordinance that overhauls how members of certain municipal boards would be paid. The ordinance aims to account for attendance of chairpersons and members at these board meetings.
“This ordinance will have the impact of board members being paid per meeting they attended,” Mayor Nicholas Sacco said at the Oct. 20 meeting when the ordinance was introduced. “They used to be paid whether they attended or not. I think it’s a much better way and it’ll also get our attendance up.”
The payments are about the same, increasing slightly from approximately $62 to $75 per meeting for normal board members. Chairpersons also received a slight pay increase to $100 per meeting. However, members are only paid if they attend. The boards affected under the proposed ordinance include: the Senior Citizen and Disabled Persons Condominium and Cooperative Conversion Board, the Traffic Advisory Board, the Rent Leveling Board, and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
Under the new ordinance, for the Senior Citizen and Disabled Persons Condominium and Cooperative Conversion Board, the chairperson will make $100 per regular meeting attended. Normal and alternate members will earn $75. For special meetings, all members will make $150. For the Traffic Advisory Board, the chairperson will make $100 per regular meeting attended. Normal members will earn $75. For special meetings, all members will make the same as regular meetings.
For the Rent Leveling Board, the chairperson will make $100 per regular meeting attended. Normal and alternate members will earn $75. For special meetings, all members will make $150. For the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, the chairperson will make $100 per regular meeting attended. Normal members will earn $75. For special meetings, all members will make $150.
There will be no additional payment to any person serving in a vice-chairperson or acting chairperson position for any particular meeting. Under the ordinance, the township or a board can request that applicants appearing before a board for a special meeting pay the township for the special meeting attendance fees. The ordinance will take effect Jan. 1, 2022.
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