MANCHESTER – The township will be creating a new in-house position in the hopes of saving taxpayer dollars.
The Manchester Township Council approved on first reading an ordinance to create a “utilities electrician.” Final approval is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 13 at the next township council meeting.
The proposed salary range is $100,000 to $110,000 to start, which is a savings, Business Administrator Donna Markulic said. He or she will be part of the OPEIU Local 32: White Collar Bargaining Unit.
“We will save approximately $150,000 a year as a safe estimate for now, but do expect the savings to increase in the coming years with the increased work on the water systems,” Markulic told The Manchester Times.
The township spent $829,453 in electrician costs, which includes buildings and grounds and utility department charges, from 2013-2017, and has already spent $125,734 so far in 2018. A surge to upgrade the township’s water systems started in 2016 and will continue due to aging infrastructure, “so we expect these higher costs in the area of utilities electrical work to continue,” Markulic said.
The township does not currently employ anyone in-house who is a licensed electrician who meets the qualifications. If the creation of this position is ultimately approved, the township will be posting the position publicly to fill it. Manchester will be looking for a New Jersey licensed electrician with at least five years’ experience to install, inspect, repair, service and maintain the township’s electrical and HVAC equipment. That person will likely work out of the utilities building, housed on Route 571.
“We will need to have a contract for an electrician in case of vacations/illness of employee or if the job is so large we may need assistance of a second utilities electrician. It will be a pay only when you use them contract,” Markulic added.
