County Notes from the Freeholders' Meeting

Notes From the Freeholder Meeting

•The Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a resolution lowering the speed limits along County Route 516 from 40 mph to 35 mph. The section of County Route 516 effected runs from the Middlesex-Monmouth county line and Route 79, passing through Aberdeen, Hazlet, Holmdel, Matawan, Keyport and Middletown.

•During the governing body’s workshop meeting, Freeholder Lillian Burry presented a proclamation to horse trainer Kelly Breen, of Howell. Breen trained Ruler on Ice, a horse owned by Lori and George Hall, of Rumson, that won the Belmont Stakes earlier this month. Breen also accepted proclamations on behalf of the Halls, who were unable to attend the afternoon meeting.

•The freeholders heard a presentation on the Glimmer Glass Bridge by Fran Drew during its regular meeting held at Neptune City Hall. County engineers are currently exploring options for repairing the 122-year-old bridge.

Drew, a member of the Committee to Save the Glimmer Glass Bridge, urged the governing body to adopt a plan that would preserve the historical integrity of the bridge, which is in the National Historic Registry.

“It is a national treasure which is in our own backyard,” Drew said.

However, Manasquan Planning Board member Joan Harriman encouraged the freeholders to consider a design that would be a compromise between functionality and historical design.

“Many Manasquan residents living in the beach area are awaiting a public hearing to state our concerns and emphasize the need for a new bridge that is safe and made wider to accommodate cars, bicycles and pedestrians,” Harriman said. “We use it as our entrance and exit on a daily basis.”

•The Board of Chosen Freeholders reappointed Alan Bateman, of Holmdel, to a five-year term on the Monmouth County Bayshore Outfall Authority ending February 2016.

•Freeholder Amy Mallet voted against the appointment of Division of Transportation Director Kathleen Lodato to the Monmouth County Office on Aging Advisory Council. A 1970 resolution by the governing body requires the Division of Transportation director be a member of the Advisory Council because senior citizen transportation falls under the director’s purview. However, Mallet said she was voting against the appointment because she disagreed with the manner in which Lodato was hired.

“I find it ironic that we’re voting on appointing a person to our advisory board on the Office of Aging but we never took a public vote to approve the hiring of the individual in the first place,” Mallet said. “The position was never advertised. It was done behind closed doors. I was never given the opportunity to weigh in on the decision and my concerns were disregarded.”

Lodato was appointed to the Advisory Council by a 4-1 vote.

•The Board of Chosen Freeholders approved contracts with five county employee unions.

According to County Administrator Terri O’Connor, the terms contract terms included the following salary increases: the Monmouth County Prosecutor Supervisors Association received a three percent increase in 2010 and 1.25 percent for 2011 and 2012; the Assistant Prosecutors Unit received no increase in 2009 and a net two percent increase for 2010, 2011, and 2012; the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office clerical employees received a three percent increase for 2010 and 1.25 percent for 2011 and 2012; supervisory Division of Social Services supervisory employees received 1.25 percent increases for 2011 and 2012; and Division of Social Services clerical and professional employees received 1.25 percent increases for 2011 and 2012 with entry level salaries frozen at 2010 levels.

O’Connor noted that the five groups agreed to language changes to adopt the county’s workman’s compensation and prescription co-pay programs for a savings to the county.

“These are probably, in terms of benefit to the county, the best contracts that have been negotiated in many years,” Freeholder Directory Robert Clifton.

However, Manalapan resident Ray Kalainikas criticized the salary increases included in the contracts.

“We’re at a point in our society where everybody is concerned about increase in taxation, increase in their property taxes. There’s this constant increase all over the place,” Kalainikas said. “There has to be a wage freeze—no increase in salary for anyone in government.”