Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget And Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ogdensburg Council adopts 2024 budget, approves water-utility capital ordinance and appoints police officer; calls for police chief test
Summary
At its May 28 meeting, the Ogdensburg Borough Council adopted the 2024 municipal budget, approved a $85,000 water-utility capital ordinance and appointed a police officer funded with ARP money; it also voted to begin the civil-service process for a police chief test and changed DPW summer hours.
The Ogdensburg Borough Council on May 28 adopted the 2024 municipal budget, approved a capital ordinance for the water utility and confirmed a new police hire, while also voting to begin the civil-service process for a police chief test.
The council approved the 2024 calendar-year municipal budget by roll call vote after a public hearing that drew no comments. Council also adopted Ordinance 09-2024, a capital ordinance appropriating $85,000 from the borough’s water utility capital improvement fund for equipment purchases.
Why it matters: the budget adoption sets the borough’s fiscal plan for 2024, and the water-utility ordinance funds short-term capital needs for the utility. The council’s personnel actions and the start of a chief’s-test process speak to planned turnover in the police department.
The meeting’s formal votes included adoption of Resolution 45-2024 to participate in the municipal-budget self-examination program and Resolution 44-2024 to adopt the municipal budget. Councilman DeMeo moved both measures; votes were recorded by roll call and carried unanimously. The council also approved Resolution 43-2024 to appoint a police officer to the Ogdensburg Police Department; Chief Gordon reported the two recent officer hires are funded with ARP money. As Chief Gordon explained, the newly hired officers “will start the academy on July 8” and the academy’s last day is Nov. 27; the hires are intended to begin filling vacancies from planned retirements.
On personnel scheduling, the council voted to amend section 2.4 of the employee handbook to set DPW summer hours from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Memorial Day through Labor Day), allowing employees to waive a lunch break; the motion passed unanimously and Attorney McBriar said he would prepare a memorializing resolution.
On police succession, after an extended exchange in which Chief Gordon urged the borough to request a civil-service announcement for a chief’s test “as soon as possible,” the council voted to start the process to call for a chief’s test. That motion passed with two members recorded absent/abstaining per the roll call.
Other business included a tabled facility-use application for Heater’s Pond (see separate item), discussion of a floodplain-ordinance update required by NJDEP, and a review of vouchers and departmental finance reports. The council closed the meeting and adjourned at 8:51 p.m.
Votes at a glance: Resolution 45-2024 (budget self-exam) — Passed (yeas: Alvarez, Ciasullo, Cowdrick, DeMeo, Poyer, Ruitenberg). Resolution 44-2024 (2024 budget adoption) — Passed (unanimous). Resolution 43-2024 (appoint police officer) — Passed (abstain: Cowdrick). Ordinance 09-2024 (water utility capital appropriation $85,000) — Adopted (unanimous). DPW summer hours amendment — Adopted (unanimous). Motion to call for chief’s test — Passed (Alvarez absent; Cowdrick abstained).
What’s next: Attorney McBriar will prepare a memorializing resolution for the DPW summer-hours change; staff will proceed with steps needed to call for a civil-service chief’s test; Councilmembers indicated further work on employee-raises, lead-line replacement paperwork and road-plan nominations for NJDOT grants.
