The Hoboken City Council could hike many salary ranges for municipal employees at tonight’s meeting, which would mean a maximum salary of $290,000 for the police chief and $260,00 for the fire chief.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“These additional titles reflect the investments the City is making in our Divisions of Recreation with the goal of adding more services and sports and when possible, bring them in-house, which will ultimately save taxpayers money,” said city spokeswoman Marilyn Baer, noting they are taking a similar approach to the Division of Housing and the Construction Office.
” … A contractual increase for the Hoboken Police Chief would bring his salary higher than the current salary range cap requiring the ordinance amendment to provide for the 1.5 percent contractual pay increase. The salary range increase for the Fire Chief is required as the Acting Chief does not have a contract with the City and his existing rate of pay exceeds the current cap.”
Police Chief Steven Aguiar is currently paid $260,000 a year after receiving a $29,000 raise in April 2022, while Acting Fire Chief Anton Peskens receives $244,645 annually, Baer also said.
This includes his battalion chief pay plus longevity and his stipend for fire chief duties.
For the basis of comparison, in neighboring Jersey City, which is about six times the size of Hoboken, their last police chief, Michael Kelly, earned $321,424 ($212,722 salary) in total compensation in 2019, while their last fire chief, Steven McGill, received $225,000 in 2021, public records show.
The salary ranges that accompany the ordinance up for second reading includes over 200 employees and covers the time frame through 2024.
In the case of the recreation department, two new positions are proposed: the recreation leader would have at a maximum starting salary of $60,000, with their program coordinator earning up to $70,000.
Seasonal and part time employees, including referees, umpires, and lifeguards, could make between $20 and $65 regular.
Additionally, an assistant construction official could earn up to $100,000 to start, while a code enforcement officer may be compensated $55,080 annually starting next year, with his or her supervisor to be paid a maximum of $57,500 a year.
Beginning in 2024, the Construction Office could also pay a complaint investigator up to $61,200.
As for the Division of Housing, a housing assistance technician can receive between $45,000 and $75,000.
The Hoboken council convene’s this evening at City Hall, 94 Washington St., at 7 p.m., with the meeting streaming live on their Facebook and YouTube pages.