W. Caldwell Hires Temporary Acting CFO

West Caldwell's governing body approved Tuesday night the hiring of a temporary acting certified municipal financial officer who has 40 years of experience as a town administrator and CFO.

A contract with Jersey Professional Management was unanimously approved for the consulting services of Thomas Kane for the remainder of the year.

According to Acting Town Administrator and Clerk Jock Watkins, the agreement includes a one-time $300 fee to the Cranford-based agency and a rate of $85 an hour for Kane's on-site time.

Watkins said the limit of the contract is $35,000, which equates to approximately 16 hours a week for the remainder of the year.

Since the departure of Andy Katz last month, Watkins, who is the town's clerk, construction official, fire sub-code official, fire official and deputy emergency management coordinator, also assumed the duties of town administrator and acting CFO.

Mayor Joseph Tempesta said Wednesday it was necessary to temporarily fill the CFO position until at least the end of the year, considering the amount of responsibilities Watkins already has and since part-time Accounting Supervisor Althea Headley has a full-time position in another municipality.

According to Tempesta, the finance committee, headed by Councilwoman Rosemarie Sutherlin, interviewed three candidates provided by Jersey Professional Management for the position.

The entire governing body then met with Kane Tuesday night in executive session before the regular public meeting. After a 30-year career in municipal government, Kane has spent the last 10 years as a consultant for Jersey Professional Management, Tempesta said.

The mayor said the arrangement will strictly be temporary until a new administrator is hired and the governing body determines if a full- or part-time CFO is needed. Tempesta said a shared agreement with a surrounding municipality might also be considered.

"The intent is clearly not a permanent one," Tempesta said. "We're hoping this holds us for a while. We can bring in a new administrator and once that person gets settled, that person can really zero in on bringing someone in on a permanent basis."