Millville proposal to add part‑time deputy director of revenue and finance fails for lack of second amid public pushback

Millville City commissioners failed to advance an ordinance on first reading Jan. 7 that would have added a part‑time Deputy Director of Revenue and Finance with a salary range of $40,000 to $55,000.

The measure was introduced under the salary‑ordinance item, which cited N.J.S.A. 40:72‑9 to authorize appointment of deputies by department directors in second‑class cities. A commissioner moved the ordinance but no commissioner seconded the motion, and the mayor announced: “Having no second, that motion fails.”

The failure came after a sustained public comment period in which several residents and business operators questioned the timing and need for the new position. Tim Cardi, a resident who spoke during public comment, said the $40,000–$55,000 salary range could instead be used to cover employee contract settlements and argued the city should prioritize existing staff: “We got employees still working without contracts. Maybe we should worry about our employees before we start advertising and not seeing any return.”

Vice Mayor Watson, who described the position as a vehicle to bring grant‑writing and project‑management capacity to the mayor’s office, defended the proposal. Watson said the role would focus on grant writing, intergovernmental outreach and larger projects such as airport and sewer work, and argued that grants recovered could offset the position’s cost: “Part of the job that he's performing, doing the grant writing, will help pay for the salary, first off.”

Other public commenters pressed the commission to use in‑house or volunteer resources first. Tom McGinty, a longtime resident, said the city had people who could write grants and criticized what he described as a pattern of adding positions rather than making better use of existing personnel.

Bill Horn, who identified himself as the operator of the city’s contracted media work, also addressed a different spending question raised in public comment but told commissioners that the advertising vendor had produced materials and that the city would benefit from a formal presentation before voting on renewals.

The ordinance text presented to the commission referenced N.J.S.A. 40:72‑9 and described the job as a part‑time Deputy Director of Revenue and Finance with the listed compensation range. No further formal action on the ordinance occurred at the meeting.

Why it matters: Commissioners cited large ongoing projects and grant opportunities that require staff with development and intergovernmental experience. Residents expressed competing priorities — preserving funds for contract settlements and frontline services versus hiring staff to pursue larger capital and grant projects.

The meeting record shows commissioners opened the ordinance for first reading but the item did not receive the procedural second required to move forward. The subject may return to a future agenda if a commissioner brings the motion again or if staff presents revised language or a budget impact analysis.

Votes and formal action: The ordinance on first reading to add the Deputy Director of Revenue and Finance was moved but received no second and therefore failed procedural advancement on Jan. 7. No vote tally was recorded beyond the absence of a second.

Context and next steps: Commissioners and residents repeatedly raised grant‑writing capacity during public comment. Watson said the position would centralize grant writing and project management for large projects including airport and water/sewer efforts; critics urged the city to prioritize existing employee contracts and to explore hiring a dedicated grant writer or using in‑house expertise instead. The commission did not direct staff to return with revised language during the meeting.