Under the proposed budget, the municipal purposes tax rate would be 41 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation, up from 38.4 cents last year. For an average home assessed at $474,500, the increase will be an additional $123.37 a year, or $10.28 a month.

Mayor Janet W. Tucci said the amount the borough spends on the library — $487,691 — helped spark the council to consider alternatives.

"I am an advocate of home rule, but when it comes to money, we're doing whatever we can to maintain a stable tax rate," she said. "The increases we are being hit with are becoming more and more difficult" to withstand.

Councilman J. Thomas DeBruin offered a motion to send a letter to Monmouth County to see if it would be interested in taking on the borough facility. Although West Long Branch's library already is a member of the system, if it became a branch of the system, the county would pay costs such as salaries.

Similarly, a routine matter to introduce a salary ordinance for the borough's public library staff failed to garner enough votes to pass. Only DeBruin and Council President Joseph Woolley voted to approve the ordinance, while council members John Hegarty, Barbara Ruane, Christopher Neyhart and Steven Cioffi voted against it.

Ruane said later it was pointless to approve such a measure until the borough had some sort of indication from the county about whether it was interested in the library.

The ordinance was to have provided for semi-monthly payments in 2008 to the library staff. It provided between $56,966 and $59,245 for the library director; $33,565 to $36,807 for the library's administrative assistant; $30,285 to $31,496 to the library access services head; $13.32 to $16.76 an hour for library assistants and $7.15 an hour for library pages.

There also was a longevity schedule for full-time employees with seniority above five years.

Resident Mary Lynch of Locust Avenue questioned whether it was wise not to approve library salaries, particularly because they were so small in relationship to comparable salaries in other communities.

"These people can't afford to live in West Long Branch" on those salaries, said Lynch, who supports the idea of the library becoming a county branch. "It sounds anti-intellectual to me. It is a bad idea."

Tucci, who is a member of the local library board, said she would meet with the other members to discuss the issues associated with the library. But in terms of the budget, officials had to make hard choices, particularly in view of Gov. Corzine's decision to cut state aid to small towns, she said.

"Hopefully, we'll get some money back, but you can't do a budget hoping to get some money back," Tucci said.

Tucci said contractual obligations related to collective bargaining agreements, payments to the library, health benefits and insurance remain the main sources of increases.

The borough also is in the final year of a five-year phase-in of the police and firemen's retirement system pension contributions and the fourth year of the phase-in for pension contributions for public employees. Together, this added $149,000 to the budget, she said.

State aid was cut by $258,638, although on the revenue side, the borough realized increases in municipal court fees, interest on taxes and interest on investments, according to the mayor.

The tax collection rate remains high, at 98 percent, Tucci said.

The capital budget calls for road improvements to Cooper Avenue, Thompson, Slocum and West streets and Summers Avenue while the borough's volunteer fire and first aid departments will receive two thermal imaging cameras and two motorized stretchers, under the terms of the spending plan.

The borough Department of Public Works will replace a pickup truck with a plow and a wheel loader with a bucket and clam while the police department will receive three mobile vision digital video systems for police vehicles.

"These requests have been examined closely by the council and deemed to be necessary to meet the demands of the 21st century in keeping our town safe and sound and protecting the quality of life of our residents," Tucci said.