Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and commissioners clash over salary ordinance; council approves revised salary schedule 4–1
Summary
Public commenters accused the July 21 salary-ordinance draft of hiding new administrative positions and blanking maximum salaries; after debate and explanations about job-title and pension moves, the commission approved the ordinance on a 4–1 roll call.
Residents and commissioners clashed on July 21 over a proposed amendment to Millville’s salary ordinance that residents said introduced new administrative positions and left some maximums blank, prompting questions about transparency and priorities.
At the public hearing on Ordinance item 3 (second reading), resident Tim Cardi said the ordinance was not a mere "cleanup" of existing language but "an entirely new position, confidential aid to the mayor with a salary range of a $137,000 to a 150,000" and several other titles not in the November 2025 ordinance. He urged commissioners to delay adoption until residents received clearer justification and argued the city should prioritize frontline staffing and unresolved EMS contracts instead of expanding administrative pay.
Laura Burns said she had contacted the Division of Local Government Services and was told salary ranges must include minimums and maximums; she said leaving maximums blank undermined transparency. Other residents raised similar concerns during the public hearing.
Mayor Dixon and several commissioners responded on the dais. Dixon explained the administration’s plan to move Joe Cauci from director of economic development to a "confidential aide to the mayor" title so Cauci could re-enter the DCRP pension classification he held previously, saying the change would keep pay and duties the same but restore prior retirement benefits. The mayor said a separate ordinance would formalize that personnel title change and that any actual hiring would require a later resolution.
Commissioners also said some entries in the draft had appeared in prior salary-language documents and that the personnel director and department heads had recommended some future titles to align with civil-service recognition; they said hiring would still require a later resolution. After debate the commission took a roll-call vote to adopt the salary ordinance on second reading: recorded votes showed four votes in favor and one opposed (Commissioner Ranallo voted no). The mayor announced the ordinance was approved on second reading.
What remains: Commissioners said specific hires would still require resolutions and that staff will clarify salary ranges and the pension/title change in follow-up materials. Residents and several commissioners signaled they will monitor implementation and any subsequent hiring.
