Washington Township council introduces salary ordinance adding $10,000 stipends for subcode officials and widening special police pay ranges

The Township of Washington council on June 2 introduced an amendment to the municipal salary ordinance to add one-time stipends for building subcode officials and to set pay ranges for special police officers.

The council moved to introduce Ordinance 25-15 at first reading by title and approved a resolution (25-247) to publish the ordinance and schedule a public hearing. The ordinance as presented would award each of the four subcode officials (building, fire, plumbing and electrical) a total stipend of $10,000 paid in two $5,000 increments: one at completion of permit review and one when the project is complete. The ordinance also sets pay ranges for SLEO 2 at $20–$26 per hour and SLEO 1 at $20–$22 per hour.

Township Administrator Mark DeCarlo said the stipends are intended to cover the extra inspection and plan‑review workload related to two upcoming projects, Franklin Court and Gorga Place, and that the stipend “will have no impact on the taxpayer.” Darius Pecoi, the township’s uniform construction official, told the council the municipality must provide inspections promptly or the applicant may hire a third‑party inspector; “by law, we have to give them the inspection within 3 days,” Pecoi said, noting the township could otherwise lose revenue and control of inspections.

DeCarlo and staff described the expected permit revenue tied to Franklin Court’s plan‑review and permitting fees as roughly $173,000; about $4,000 of that would go to the state, with the remainder available to the township. Officials said the fees and inspection workload justify the requested stipends and that the building department is expected to be self‑funding for this work. Council members asked for clear payout milestones; during discussion they agreed the first $5,000 would be payable after plan review is complete and the second after issuance of final approvals, and they directed staff to document the transfer and how the stipend will be recorded.

Action: Ordinance 25-15 was introduced at first reading by title and the council approved publication and scheduling of a public hearing (resolution 25-247). The ordinance text as introduced contains the stipend language described above and the SLEO pay ranges. A public hearing and final vote will be required before the changes take effect.

The council indicated staff will return with the ordinance for final adoption at the scheduled public hearing and that payroll/procedural details and any necessary November transfers into the salary lines will be documented in advance of payments.