Lakehurst Eliminates Business Administrator Position

have decided to eliminate the business administrator position — a job that some felt was not required in the borough — now that the man who held that position has retired.

An issue often brought up by the public at borough council meetings, some felt that the full-time position was not necessary for a borough of about 2,200 residents. With former business administrator Norbert MacLean's retirement effective as of Jan. 1, the governing body has decided not to seek a replacement and instead will increase the responsibilities of Clerk Bernadette Dugan, who will now work 40 hours per week.

"We're going to see how long that can last," said Mayor Harry Robbins. "I'd like to keep it that way if it goes smoothly."

A resolution was passed by the council on Jan. 1 that authorized a stipend of $7,500 for the change in responsibilities for Dugan, who earned about $83,000 in 2011, according to APP.com's DataUniverse.

"Her title will stay the same. She will not be clerk/administrator," Robbins said.

Before winning a seat on the council in last year's general election in November, Ed Seaman was a proponent of reducing the position to part-time. He had submitted a petition to the council prior to the November, 2011, vote requesting that residents decide on the necessity of the position. The question was not allowed on the ballot because the borough attorney said that the petition was not properly conducted.

"Maybe the council wasn't really looking at the big picture," said Seaman, who in his research had contacted nearly all of the boroughs in Ocean County and found that most eliminated the business administrator position or made it part-time. 

Between salary and stipend, the business administrator position earned about $85,000 annually. Having Dugan take on additional responsibilities is expected to save the borough about $75,000 in 2012, Robbins said. 

"I'm hoping that with the savings of the administrator salary, we'll be able to hire again," said Robbins, who added that the , public works and borough hall are all short-handed and two employees potentially could be hired thanks to the savings.

The mayor said that the governing body will evaluate how the reconfiguration is working at the end of the year and determine if the borough can operate without the business administrator position.

"If business moves forward and we have no problems, I believe the governing body and myself would prefer to keep it how it is and save the borough money," Robbins said. 

Though he said he is not against potentially hiring a part-time administrator or sharing services with other municipalities in the future, Robbins said that he believes the borough can manage.

"I think it's doable," he said.

Seaman said that the change will also benefit the council by having committee members take a more hands-on approach. With the business administrator in place, Seaman said that committee members did not interact directly with department heads; rather, the business administrator would deal with department administrators and relay that information to the council.

"It's good to see that the council is going to take more control," Seaman said. "[Council member] is a paid position and we need to earn our pay."