The meeting is 7 p.m. in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave. It will be followed by a regularly scheduled agenda session at 7:30 p.m. in the same location.
As Plaintalker pointed out last month, a move to extend Kochel's stay would have fallen short of the expiration of his original 90-day stint, barring a special meeting to accelerate the process. Kochel came to the city May 11 via Jersey Professional Management, a firm through which municipalities can contract for the services of seasoned municipal administrators. But because the city limits acting terms to 90 days, he was due to leave before the regular voting meeting on Aug. 15.
The council will vote Monday on an ordinance amending the 90-day rule to a possible 180-day acting term (see Plaintalker's prior post here). In addition, a resolution to make the ordinance effective immediately will obviate the normal 20-day wait for an ordinance to kick in.
Kochel has been nothing short of a godsend for Plainfield after officials played musical chairs since January to be nominally in charge of day-to-day operations of the city. The difference between a highly experienced administrator and the fill-ins was evident as soon as Kochel came aboard. While his extended tenure will not fill the remaining two years of the mayor's term, at least the city will have the benefit of his expertise to steady the Good Ship Plainfield (former Mayor Richard L. Taylor's sobriquet).
The governing body will also vote on giving Office of Economic Department Director Jacques Howard another 90 days as acting director of Public Works & Urban Development. Howard served in acting capacity from January through March and then was informally treated as department head while the post was vacant. There was a prohibition on the books against the same person holding a second acting term in less than a year. Plaintalker is not sure how it applies to this situation, unless the amended ordinance covers both extended and separate additional acting terms.
--Bernice
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