Per Resolution #2025-85, Maureen Ruane was appointed as the Municipal Clerk effective immediately, with a three-year term expiring on March 31, 2028.

Ms. Ruane is the current interim Acting Administrator and was made the Deputy Clerk at the Council Meeting on March 10th.

New Jersey statue requires that every municipality appoint a municipal clerk for a three year term. It is our understanding that this Resolution was to formalize the appointment to meet the statue requirement.

Ms. Ruane is from New Jersey Community Solutions, which is a consulting service the Mayor and Council are using to provide Manville with interim services as well as to look for a permanent Administrator and Clerk.

A resident did ask for clarification if Ms. Ruane was now considered an employee, and if she would be compensated by the Borough, since she was brought in from the consulting service that Manville is contracted with.

"How is the appointment of Maureen to Municipal Clerk gonna work, is that going to be a employee position? And, then how does that work with the contractor position of her as the interim administrator?" Asked the resident.

"From what I've been told by the State of NJ and the attorneys involved here, she needs to be on our payroll, paid one dollar to be the Municipal Clerk, and that’s a requirement from Trenton." Responded Mayor Richard Onderko.

"It's for as long as her duration until we can get someone else," responded Council President Skirkanish.

"But she's not gonna be paid a dollar once, I mean, if once her term as interim administrator expires with the contract, will then she move into an employee role with a salary?" The resident followed-up.

"We don't know at this point, but it'll just be she will no longer be clerk if we find somebody else with those credentials," Replied Mayor Onderko.

The resolution also included the following language to ensure in the future only qualified and certified individuals are hired as Manville's municipal clerk: "no person shall be appointed or reappointed as a municipal clerk unless that person holds a registered municipal clerk certificate issued pursuant to section 3 or section 4 of P.L. 1985, c174 (C.40A:9-133 or C.40A:9-133.4)"