Barnegat, Ocean Agree on New Contract for Township Administrator

The committees of Barnegat and Ocean townships approved a new contract for township administrator David Breeden last week that officials here say amounts to well-deserved compensation for overseeing cost-saving shared services deals between the two towns.

The new 5-year contract was approved at a joint meeting of the two townships last Wednesday, the same day that filled their positions with three Ocean staffers.

The contract keeps Breeden's base salary at $159,200, the same amount he's earned since 2010. While it doesn't guarantee him annual raises, it does give Barnegat the option to offer him a 1.75 percent raise each year based on merit.

Breeden is also paid $12,500 for working as Ocean Township's administrator, bringing his total salary to $171,700. Officials said Ocean contributes $50,000 toward his total salary package.

The contract will also cover the cost of a Master's degree for Breeden "in a discipline or area of study that is closely related to management of a local government entity," as well as the expense of obtaining a Credentialed Manager designation from the International City Managers Association, a professional group for local government managers.

Other details of the contract include:

• 30 paid vacation days per year

• the ability to accumulate 50 vacation days

• the ability to sell back up to 15 vacation days per year

• 15 sick days per year, which can be accumulated

• family health care coverage, including hospitalization, major medical, prescription, dental and vision coverage (while the contract stipulates that the township will cover health insurance premiums, Cirulli pointed out that state law will soon require Breeden and other public sector workers to pay 30 percent of premium costs out of pocket)

• a 4-wheel-drive vehicle for commuting and conducting township business

• a laptop computer and data-enabled cell phone

• safety gear and clothing appropriate to the job

• the assurance of three years of full health care coverage for Breeden's family if he should pass away due to non-work-related injuries

Cirulli said the contract was fair, comparable if not less generous compared to what other area municipalities pay and well-earned on Breeden's part. 

Barnegat and Ocean townships are far ahead of the curve when it comes to sharing services, he said. Efforts to combine departments are now saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for the two towns, officials said – the latest staffing agreement is expected to reduce operating costs by $311,000 per year – and are gaining notice on the state level.

"We would never have been able to have done these shared services without him," Cirulli said. "He was instrumental, because the fact was the township committee in Waretown trusts him, and we trust him. For what he's doing, I don't know if you can find anybody getting paid any less.”

Combining services for two adjacent towns and managing the day-to-day administration of both requires knowledge of the municipalities, Cirulli said. It also takes a delicate touch, he said, lest one town end up feeling it’s being taken over by the other.

“If we were to get somebody in there new with no experience and pay him $100,000, it would be a mess,” he said. “That’s how important (Breeden) is at this point.”

Cirulli also said Breeden has been approached by other municipalities who would be more than happy to pay him more to pull him away from Barnegat and Ocean.

By comparison, according to the most recent available public payroll data, Stafford Township administrator James Moran makes $146,712. His counterpart in Lacey Township, Veronica Laureigh, makes $108,415. Toms River administrator Paul Shives makes $174,686. 

In addition, Cirulli said furthering Breeden’s training is in the best interest of the township, whether it’s through certification or higher education. Waretown will contribute a certain amount toward the cost of such education, he said.

“Administrators constantly have to be kept up to date about what’s new in their field,” he said. “I don’t think anybody can argue with that.”

Breeden said he feels he's done good work in both townships, and is grateful that Barnegat and Waretown both put their trust in him.

"I've served Barnegat and Ocean townships well, and I'm proud of what we have accomplished and the legacy I've made here so far and will continue to make," he said.

Achieving shared services that actually contribute to the bottom line of both towns isn't a simple process, he said, and requires persistence and experience. It's worked in the case of Barnegat and Ocean "because there's a common bond, and that is having one administrator manage or handle both towns and both governing bodies."