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EDISON – About 400 township employees, including 10 police officers, began furloughs July 22 after the Township Council failed to approve Edison's $181.8 million budget earlier this week, according to Mayor Sam Joshi.
Joshi said the furloughs also affect the entire engineering department, meaning no permits will be issued, as well as the recreation department. The 10 furloughed police officers are the department's most recently hired officers, he said.
The Edison Fire Department has been reduced to minimum staffing levels, according to the mayor.
Joshi said the furloughs are already affecting many Edison residents.
A township Facebook notice said all recreation programs, events and services have been suspended because of the temporary government shutdown, including the splash park, day camp and playground activities.
Joshi has called a special Township Council meeting for 7 p.m. July 23 in council chambers. The council is scheduled to consider temporary emergency appropriations for the municipal and sanitation budgets.
The mayor said the meeting is not for budget adoption because state law requires a 10-day public notice before a budget hearing can be held.
If the council fails to act at the July 23 meeting, a significant increase in police officer furloughs is expected, according to the Edison Policemen's Benevolent Association.
"Police officers don't get to decide whether they're going to show up when the public needs them," PBA President Michael J. Piperato said in a statement. "They answer the call every single day, no matter the circumstances. Our elected officials should be held to the same standard. Because four members of the Township Council failed to do their jobs Monday night, police officers have already been furloughed. If the Council fails again Thursday, even more officers are expected to be sent home. Public service begins with showing up."
The July 20 Township Council meeting ended without the scheduled public hearing and vote on the budget after Council Vice President Robert Kentos and Councilmen Biral Patel and Ajay Patil did not attend and Councilman Richard Brescher left during the meeting, leaving the governing body without a quorum to conduct business.
"They abdicated their responsibilities by not having a quorum. They need to show up and do their job," Joshi said, adding that council members were warned that failure to act on the budget would result in furloughs.
Joshi said the council accepted the budget in May and that the July 20 meeting was intended for council members to propose amendments and vote on the spending plan. He said no amendments had been proposed.
The council was also scheduled to approve temporary appropriations at that meeting, according to the mayor.
In a Facebook post, Joshi said council members participated in 18 public and closed-door meetings and held numerous discussions during the past three months regarding the budget.
"Council members need to do their jobs and vote on a budget," Joshi wrote.
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Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: 400 Edison workers furloughed after council fails to pass budget
