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March 6, 2009

Funding crisis to close chapter?

By: MELISSA HAYES
Burlington County Times
Local officials have come out against a bill in the state Assembly that could cut funding for public libraries by 50 percent.

The Willingboro Township Council passed a resolution Tuesday night that protests the legislation, which was fueled by the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

The league passed a resolution in November urging the Legislature to reduce the minimum funding level for municipal public libraries in the state from one-third mill to one-sixth mill of every dollar of assessed property value.

A mill equals one tenth of a cent. The owner of a home at Willingboro's average assessment of $100,000 would pay slightly more than $30 toward the municipal library.

In February, Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, D-32nd of Secaucus, introduced a bill that would reduce the funding as the League of Municipalities requested.

At issue are state-mandated caps on the amount municipal governing bodies can increase their spending and tax levies each year.

Prieto said he introduced the bill because of the economy and the fact that municipalities are struggling to stay within those budgetary caps this year.

"Libraries are in the 4 percent cap of the municipalities, but they are mandated to be funded a certain way, so I could see the problem municipalities have," he said.

Prieto said his intention isn't to cut off libraries or force them to reduce services, as some librarians have said would happen, but rather to begin a discussion on funding.

He said his bill is by no means finalized and he had met with the New Jersey Library Association and the League of Municipalities and hopes to eventually reach a compromise.

"We may do other things that will make it work," he said. "One may be making them a separate line item, something like open space that would be outside the cap, doing it in a way not to hurt libraries."

Advertisement Chris King, director of the Willingboro Township Library, said that if the bill were to pass as is, it could cripple libraries. The library board of trustees passed the same resolution as the Township Council at its February meeting.

"I believe most of them would close as some are only being funded at the minimum," she said. "It is problematic. If Willingboro were to receive minimal funding, we would have major reductions in the services that we could provide including our operating hours. Of course, with the economic situation being what it is in this country we cannot afford to reduce our operating hours."

King said the library is lucky enough to receive funding from the Township Council above and beyond the minimum requirement. She said that funding helps provide computer and Internet access to those who do not have it at home, especially residents who are looking to apply for jobs. The library also offers free family programming.

Most of the public libraries in the county are part of the Burlington County Library System and are funded through a dedicated tax. However, Willingboro, Mount Laurel and Moorestown have their own libraries independent of that system.

The Mount Laurel Library's board of trustees also passed a resolution combating the proposed funding reduction.

Acting Library Director Kathy Schalk-Greene said the resolution has been forwarded to the Mount Laurel Township Council. She said the council funds the library based on the minimum requirement.

"In tough times, everybody's budget is getting looked at very carefully," she said, "but also in tough times, that's when people tend to use public libraries and all libraries the most."

Email: mhayes@phillyBurbs.com

Posted by tumulty at March 6, 2009 8:34 AM

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