10 facts to set the record straight about police sick time in Vernon

I want to provide some context, and some clarifying facts, to a recent news article which highlighted our town.

The article was written by a Mr. Andrew Ford of the Ashbury Park Press, and alleges that Vernon Township was one of 25 towns that paid police officers for sick time in violation of a 2010 New Jersey statue during the three-year period from 2017 to 2019.

I understand that the issue that is the subject of this article pertains to events that occurred prior to my time as Mayor. However, the personal standard that I establish for myself, and my commitment to the residents of Vernon, causes me to embrace the point of view that because at this time in the life of our town I am the one who has been entrusted with the responsibility of serving the people of Vernon as their Mayor, I should make myself sufficiently aware of any significant municipal issues that come up on my watch.

And so it is with this attitude that I have proceeded to do my due diligence on this issue. That due diligence produced the following 10 very pertinent, and clarifying, facts that I believe that it’s important for the residents of Vernon to know:

Fact 1: The NJ statue that is the subject of this article is one that went into effect on May 21, 2010. This statue had the two controlling provisions:

Provision 1: Stated that NJ public employees who were hired after the May 21, 2010 date that this NJ statue went into effect, could only be paid for accumulated sick leave when they retired; and ...

Provision 2: Stated that the total amount of accumulated sick leave for which these NJ public employees could be paid, could not exceed 15K$ per employee.

Fact 2: Although this NJ statute was in effect in 2016, the then municipal officials negotiated and signed a contract with the police union that allowed sick leave payouts to be made on an annual basis, rather than only at retirement, as the 2010 NJ statute had directed.

Fact 3: I fully understand the inclination to point the finger of blame at the Mayor, Council and other municipal officials who were in office in 2015 when this contract was negotiated, approved and signed — even though it was in violation of state law.

However, it should also be noted that our town’s then labor attorney; our town’s then auditors; plus the NJ Public Employment Relations Commission — all of which had a responsibility to review this union contract for legal accuracy — also did not point out the fact that this contract was in violation of state law.

Fact 4: It was not until September of 2018 when the town hired our current Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Donelle Bright, that this illegal contract provision was brought to the attention of the town by her.

Fact 5: After this illegal contract provision was brought to the town’s attention by Chief Financial Officer Bright, both the town and the police union agreed that this provision was null and void, and would no longer be honored.

Fact 6: Prior to this illegal contract provision being brought to the attention of the town, the town did make five annual sick leave payouts, to four different individuals, who were hired after the May 21, 2010 date; these payments were in violation of the NJ statute that’s the subject of the news article by Mr. Ford.

Fact 7: In 2017, annual payouts of sick leave were made to two Vernon Township police officers; and in 2018, annual payouts of sick leave were made to three Vernon Township police officers.

Fact 8: Payments to no single Vernon Township police officer exceeded the 15K$ limit that was imposed by the 2010 NJ statute; in fact, the total dollar amount of all payments to Vernon Township police officers was $7,9212.44, or an average of $1,582 per payment.

Fact 9: While I don’t understand why Mr. Ford chose to lead his article with Vernon Township, and to write this article in a way that could lead a reader to believe that Vernon was a major violator of this NJ statute, the fact is that the total 460K$ in payouts that Mr. Ford claims to have discovered, was the total amount discovered for all 25 towns - - and not just Vernon Township — during the three-year period from 2017 to 2019.

Fact 10: Just six of those 25 towns — none of which was Vernon Township — accounted for approximately 60% of that total $460K that Mr. Ford claims to have discovered, with the largest dollar amount being $59K that was paid out by Washington Township in Warren County.

As it relates to Vernon’s current contract with our police union, former Mayor Shortway started the negotiations on this contract in 2019, and I completed those negotiations and signed the contract on behalf of our town in 2020. This contract is 100% consistent with the 2010 NJ statute.

This news article, and perhaps rightly so, points out an error that Vernon and at least 24 other municipalities made during a three-year period from 2017 to 2019.

While I understand that it would not be as sensational, or perhaps not even as interesting, if the writer had pointed out the fact that Vernon took immediate action to correct this error as soon as it was discovered.

But this Mayor and Council team does not believe in simply pointing fingers — we believe in making things right. We are guided in part by the wisdom that was expressed by former President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy said that an error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct the error; and Vernon took immediate action to correct this error as soon as it was discovered.

Now let’s continue to work together to move Vernon forward!

Howard L. Burrell, Mayor

Vernon Township