News
Administrator's Salary Cut To Save FH $50,000
By Ryan Fennell
FAIR HAVEN - The Fair Haven Borough Council voted to reduce Borough Administrator Mary Howell's hours and salary by approximately fifty percent.
Howell would now be employed part time by the borough and not receive health benefits saving the borough over $50,000 this calendar year.
Howell's salary drops from a scheduled $105,000 for 2010 to $52,500 and would work at Borough Hall on Mondays and Tuesdays and available by phone the remainder of the week.
"It was absolutely mutual," Mayor Michael Halfacre said. "Everyone was on board with it."
Howell recently had baby and left on maternity leave in late September 2009. When she returned from maternity leave at the end of November discussions were held to determine what arrangement would be best for everyone involved.
"It was a better arrangement for her and it seems to work out for the borough," Halfacre said.
However, the arrangement includes a 60-day provision where the borough could elect to return the position to full-time given 60 days notice.
"If something doesn't work out we can change on 60 days notice," Halfacre said. "If we decide it has to be a full-time position, that we just can't get it done part-time (it can be changed). If she (Howell) doesn't' want to come back full-time we can make the decision to go somewhere else."
"We're comfortable that there's enough time for her to get the work done and she's comfortable with the arrangement."
Halfacre added that the arrangement might not work out in the long term and might eventually need to be reinstated as a full-time position.
"I personally believe it's a full-time job," Halfacre said. "I think we need a full-time administrator but we are in a position right now, thanks to the work of Mary and the other people we've hired and the work of the council, we're in a position where we can experiment this year and at the same time save a lot of money."
