Politics & Government
No Easy Answers To Barnegat Cops' Contract Dispute
Police from the township and Southern Ocean County departments packed Town Hall last night.
BARNEGAT – The Barnegat Police Benevolent Association's contract requests are "financially not sustainable" a Township Committeman told a crowd of officers from around the Southern Ocean County area.
More than 50 officers packed the Barnegat courtroom Tuesday night in support of the PBA No 296's push for a new contract and limits on health care costs.
The township's 35 patrol officers have worked without a contract and raises for three years.
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The PBA wants a contract comparable to the Superior Officers Association, which negotiated a 1.95 percent increase and a $10,000 cap on health care contributions.
"They're not asking for any more than the superior officers got," Long Beach Township police officer and Barnegat resident Mark Stanish said. "Fair and equitable. I think that's all they want."
But things have changed since the fall of 2015, when the Superior Officers Association contract was approved, Mayor John Novak said. Since then, township officials discovered Barnegat had less money than previously believed.
Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"It's financially not sustainable," Committeemen Albert Cirulli said of the PBA's proposed contract.
The PBA organized the public show of support, saying the Township Committee's negotiators had refused to meet in private to discuss a contract.
"We just want to meet," PBA president Brian Weber told the Committee. "We're asking to be treated the same as the other officers."
The PBA previously rejected proposals from the township, and did not provide details of alternatives in writing, Township Attorney Jerry Dasti, said.
George Kneisser, founder of NJ Citizens for Property Tax Reform, urged the committee to consider how the deal could affect local property taxes.
"Homeowners at this time are struggling," he said. "They are leaving their homes because they cannot afford property taxes."
Novak said that patrol officers continue to provide a high level of service, despite the contract impasse.
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Image: Patch file photo
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