Milltown budget now has 11 furlough days

Borough employees will likely have to take 11 furlough days by year’s end.

Last week, the Milltown Borough Council voted unanimously to incorporate that number of unpaid days off, in which borough offices will be closed, into the 2010 municipal budget.

“We’re not happy about this,” Mayor Gloria Bradford said during the council’s July 14 special meeting.

The mayor said the furlough days, which are expected to save the town about $70,000, are necessary due to the loss of $99,529, or 20.4 percent, of the borough’s state aid this year. Milltown’s state aid will drop from last year’s $486,698 to $387,169.

Borough police officers will not have to take furlough days.

“We have examined every program [in the budget] two to three times,” Bradford said. “We are aware that our employees are our mainstay and that hurts. We are continually working on the budget. It is not complete. I sincerely hope we can get the number down to 10 furlough days to make good of a bad situation.”

Borough officials will hold a public hearing on the 2010 municipal budget at 7 p.m. July 26 in council chambers.

The council introduced the $7.7 million budget in May, incorporating 10 furlough days. The initial package carried a municipal tax hike of approximately 16.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, an increase of $278 on a home assessed at the borough average of $166,087. The revised tax impact in the budget, with the additional furlough day, was not released for this story.

For the past several weeks, the council has been discussing ways to save the money, but members said the situation they are facing is “disastrous.”

The council had initially recommended 20 furlough days for municipal employees in order to avoid layoffs. Their recommendation was presented to the state Civil Service Department, which approved 17 furlough days. Meanwhile, officials said the borough unions had agreed to 12 furlough days.

At last week’s meeting, the council first voted 4-1 to implement 12 furlough days, with Councilman Ronald Dixon voting against the measure. Right after the vote, Councilman Lawrence Citro motioned to change it to 11 furlough days, removing July 16 from the recommended dates.

Dixon said he was concerned with the suggested furlough days of Monday, Nov. 29, and Monday, Dec. 27, as they immediately follow weekends and days off for holidays.

“[With the furlough day] of Nov. 29, it leaves us with five consecutive days without any borough presence, and with the one on Dec. 27, it leaves us with four consecutive days without any borough presence,” he said.

However, the newly approved list of furlough days includes those two dates.

Councilman Gary Holsten said the implementation of furlough days is hard for everybody.

“This is a temporary Band- Aid,” he said. “We have to save money now … no one wants to see their programs cut, but this is because of the economy. It’s just going to get worse next year when the cap [on property tax increases] is reduced.”

Councilman Robert Owens was not present for the vote last week.