Plans for shared construction department in the works

BRICK TOWNSHIP — The township is poised to partner with Toms River to form a northern Ocean County construction inspection department, Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis said.

The department would initially provide services to Brick and Toms River, but Acropolis has already talked to Jackson Mayor Michael Reina and several other towns.

"There is no reason that each town has to have its own full-fledged construction department," he said. "It just doesn't make sense."

The Toms River Township Council has already passed a shared services agreement, Acropolis said.

"We are in the process of voting on that shortly," he said.

Eight of Brick's building inspectors, along with 41 other township employees were slated to be laid off on Dec. 31.

Building department expenses, including salaries, were traditionally paid through revenue generated from permits and inspection fees. But the souring real estate and tight credit markets have led to fewer home sales, permits and inspections.

The Brick building department has been losing $30,000 a month since September.

The Township Council voted 6 to 1 at the Nov. 10 meeting to go out to bid for building-subcode official and janitorial services.

The number of township employees who slated to lose their jobs at the end of today might change slightly, because of a few more people retiring, Acropolis said.

Business Administrator Scott M. Pezarras met with a mediator from the state Public Employment Relations Commission last week in an effort to hammer out a contract agreement with the Transport Workers Union Local 225, Branch 4, the mayor said.

"They were in there for a long time," he said.

Both Pezarras and Acropolis said they were not permitted to discuss any aspect of the PERC sessions.

But Acropolis did say the township has no control over Civil Service "bumping" rights, which allow employees with seniority to bump those with less time in the system.

"We really aren't happy with the way it went, but unfortunately, what else can you do?" Acropolis said. "There's not a mechanism to get out of Civil Service."

The mayor called 2008 a "bittersweet" year.

"This year would have been much better had we not had this downturn in personnel," he said. "I would much rather have done it through attrition. But when you don't get concessions, there's nothing else to do."

A $700,000 cut in state aid, a statemandated four percent cap on the amount to be raised by taxation each year, a $1.3 million hike in health care premium costs and higher utility costs have left the township with a nearly $4 million shortfall in the 2009 budget.

"All eyes point to Trenton," Acropolis said.