"If I stop it, I will have stopped $200,000 a year from leaving Camden," said Kelly Francis of the Camden Taxpayers Association, a grassroots group that monitors tax issues in the city.
All the police and fire officials live outside Camden, Francis noted.
An ordinance that City Council adopted in June gave nine high-ranking police and fire officials raises averaging $20,000 annually. The ordinance raised the salaries of the police and fire chiefs to $129,164 as of Friday. Deputies' salaries rose to $121,772.
In his lawsuit, Francis argues that the method of paying the salaries - bonds passed in June - has been ruled unconstitutional by the New Jersey Supreme Court. He also argues that under the five-year state act designed to revitalize the impoverished city, a management study sets the salaries of high-ranking officials. Council has yet to adopt the study.
In fact, the suit says, the management study calls for the elimination of four of six deputy fire chief positions.
"I'm just trying to let the public know what's going on," Francis said yesterday. "They're putting the city deeper in debt and making it that much more difficult for Camden to become self-sufficient."
The city's chief operating officer, Melvin R. "Randy" Primas Jr., declined to comment on the lawsuit. Police and fire officials could not be reached for comment last night.
Council President Angel Fuentes defended the raises.
"Theirs are truly demanding jobs," he said. "They're out working hard. The chiefs manage budgets of $30 million each. You see them out on the street and in the neighborhoods at community meetings, and yet they still have to run their departments."
He added: "There are small municipalities where the police and fire chief make close to $100,000 or $110,000."
