Borough Manager Qualifications On Red Bank Meeting Agenda

RED BANK, NJ — The Borough Council will meet in a special closed session Thursday afternoon, Sept. 21, to discuss various employment terms related to the position of borough manager.

Under the newly established nonpartisan form of government, the Council/Manager form, the council is required by state law to hire a borough manager.

And Mayor Billy Portman said the borough has seen a lot of interest.

"We have had a very good response, and the search is still active," Portman said on Wednesday.

The Borough Council recently introduced increased salary ranges, including for the borough manager.

No specific salary has been set for the new manager, Portman explained, but it will be in the proposed new range of a minimum of $150,000 to a maximum of $210,000, raising the maximum from $170,000. These ranges would have to be adopted at the next regular meeting of the council.

Portman has said the new range would give the borough flexibility in hiring for the position.

The meeting Thursday will be at 3:30 p.m. in the fourth-floor conference room and will be an executive session.

The governing body will "be discussing the terms and conditions of employment and the qualifications of prospective public employees for the open Borough Manager position currently posted. The only legal action to be taken at this meeting will be to adopt a resolution to enter executive session. No other action will be taken," the notice states.

Currently, Darren McConnell is the interim business administrator for the borough after the April 2021 resignation of Ziad Shehady. McConnell is also the police chief. He was not immediately available Wednesday to respond about his own plans regarding the borough manager position.

The new form of government became official on July 1, 2023, after the nonpartisan election for mayor and council on May 9.

Attorney Michael L. Collins, who had been the Charter Study Commission attorney, made a presentation to the council and public in July regarding various aspects of the transition to the new form of government, including an explanation of the role of the borough manager.

The council will hire the manager and clerk, but every other employee is hired by the manager, who can act quickly to fill openings in the borough's departments, he said. And now individual council members do not have oversight of specific departments, Collins said in his presentation.

The governing body "sets the vision" and the manager must carry out those policies, Collins said.

The council will appoint the manager, who can be removed by a simple majority of the governing body, Collins said. A residency requirement for the manager can be waived, Collins said.

The manager may negotiate contracts, but they are subject to council approval, he added. The manager is also responsible for preparing the budget, also subject to council approval.

The next regular meeting of the Borough Council is Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m.