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March 18, 2009

Phillipsburg and Warren County library agreement could get yearlong extension

Saturday, March 14, 2009
By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times
PHILLIPSBURG | A longstanding agreement between the town and Warren County for library services could be extended for at least a year.

While the county would like the Phillipsburg Free Public Library to join the county library system, freeholders said they would support an agreement extension sought by town officials.

Set to expire at the end of the year, the 19-year-old agreement allows residents from neighboring municipalities who pay a county library tax to use the town library at no charge.

"If they need more time to review it, I don't have a problem with that," Freeholder Everett Chamberlain said. "There's no intent here to take over. It's strictly Phillipsburg's choice."

Mayor Harry Wyant said the town needs more time to look at joining the county system, maintaining the existing agreement or establishing a regional library at the same facility with the townships of Lopatcong, Pohatcong and Greenwich.

"I would rule nothing out at this point," Wyant said.

A regional library wouldn't cost those township residents any more money than they are paying in county library taxes, but seceding from the county system would take two years, Wyant said.

Joining the county system still raises various issues, officials said. Phillipsburg wants to ensure that the library would remain at its Frost Avenue location, Wyant said.

The town would lease the building to the county, Wyant said. The county could pay the municipality for the books or include that inventory as part of the lease agreement, he said.

The municipality also needs to know about any change in hours, employees and capital funding, according to Phillipsburg Council President David DeGerolamo.

If the agreement were to stand, Chamberlain said he has some changes in mind.

The timeframe on renegotiating the agreement, which now occurs every 10 years, needs to be shortened, Chamberlain said. Joint ownership of the books also needs to be considered, he said.

Although the county appoints representatives to the town library board, the county wants more say in the operation, toward which it contributes about 56 percent of the funding, Chamberlain said.

The library board consists of three county representatives and four town representatives, Wyant said. He said he is comfortable with adding another county representative and discussing book ownership.

With greater county involvement, DeGerolamo said he fears the result would be cutbacks in staff, hours and resources.

"Everybody wants control, control, control," DeGerolamo said. "As I understand it, the library is running extremely well."

Reporter Bill Wichert can be reached at 610-258-7171, ext. 3570, or by e-mail at bwichert@express-times.com.

Posted by tumulty at March 18, 2009 10:00 PM

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