Borough arborist contract pruned in budget cutting exercise; Red Bank, NJ

RedBankGreen » BOROUGH ARBORIST AXED:
By JORDAN DeVESTY
The budget axe has fallen on Red Bank’s arborist, who oversaw the planting of some 400 new trees throughout town in recent years.
In a move that Mayor Pasquale Menna said will save the borough about $20,000 a year, the position was eliminated, and so its holder, Mike Olimpi, is out.
The termination was vaguely alluded to at Monday night’s borough council meeting, when Menna gave Olimpi a certificate of appreciation without immediately making clear that Olimpi was leaving the borough payroll.
Afterward, Menna cited shrinking tax and grant receipts as the reason.
“When revenue is down, everything can’t be provided, and unfortunately we don’t have the kind of funding for an arborist as we once did,” he told redbankgreen.