Shared Property Maintenance Manager with River Edge Nixed for Now

At Monday's Mayor and Council meeting, more questions than answers were raised regarding the merits of sharing a property maintenance manager with River Edge.

The first major concern is that both boroughs have differing ordinances that the property maintenance manager would be responsible for working under. Another concern is the cost. According to officials, River Edge has a probationary wage of just over $15 per hour that increases to just over $22 per hour after six-months -- a cost that exceeds the rate New Milford would pay.

Also, whereas New Milford would require the services of a property maintenance manager for limited hours durning the winter months and up to 20 hours during the warmer months, River Edge would only require two hours per week during the winter months and slightly more during the warmer months, resulting in higher costs for New Milford.

Mayor Ann Subrizi expressed concern that a shared property maintenance manager would have to answer to two different people in two different towns.

Councilman Dominic Colucci questioned whether this person would be doing the same thing that the other departments are currently doing.

Council President Randi Duffie assured Colucci that the person would be kept busy, especially if property maintenance was all that they were assigned to. However, she conceded that although the concept of shared services is a good one, in this case it might not be the best solution for New Milford. However, she asked that the council table it and revisit hiring for this position at a later date.   

Additionally, Councilman Michael Putrino asked that the council review the budget before this position is considered.

The Mayor and Council were in agreement that sharing this service at this time is not a good idea, but left the door open to revisit it in the future. 

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