Statement Read at September Council Meeting
PERTH AMBOY – Today, 1 October 2019 the defunding resolution passed by the City Council on 9 September 2019 along with the formal adoption of the COPA Budget took effect. This defunding has resulted in the following actions taking place based on the actions of Mayor and City Council.
1. Only the Mayor may lay off or fire employees in the City of Perth Amboy. The Mayor has not laid off or fired any additional employees. That is her statutory authority, and it cannot be usurped by the actions of the City Council.
2. The Council defunding positions is not a lay off or the removal of an employee. This is just the removal of the money allocated to pay that employee. Therefore:
a. Jeanette Rios – Jeanette, previously assigned as the Mayor’s aide (defunded position) has been reassigned as Executive Assistant to the BA with duties in the Mayor’s Office effective 1 October 2019.
b. Noelia Colon – Noelia, previously assigned as the Public Information Officer (defunded position) has taken a position in the BID.
c. Ivette Rios – Ivette, assigned to Code Enforcement (defunded position) will continue to work in Code Enforcement as a code enforcement Officer. The budget line item for the Code Enforcement Department has sufficient funding in spite of the defunding by Council action of one position. This funding is sufficient till the end of this fiscal year.
d. Lisette Martinez – Lisette, assigned to the Office of Aging (defunded position) will continue to work in the Office of Aging and no personnel are to be transferred from that department.
e. Mark Cintron – Mark, assigned as a Prosecutor in the Courts (defunded position) will continue to work based on the City Council Presidents email indicating that funding will be made available and transferred during a Council meeting in November.
3. Failure of the City Council to enact budgetary transfers during a Council meeting in November will result in all a budgetary shortfall in Office of Aging and the Department of Law.
Frederick C. Carr, Business Administrator
City of Perth Amboy
Business Administration
Email:fcarr@perthamboynj.org
