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July 10, 2009

Prospect Park residents shut out of library

Thursday, July 9, 2009
BY MAGGIE ASTOR
NorthJersey.com
STAFF WRITER
0 Comments The idea was simple: Prospect Park pays Haledon $13,000 a year to share its library.

The reality has become complex: a dispute in Haledon between the governing body and library board over who should control the money.

Meanwhile, Prospect Park residents, who were supposed to be allowed to check out Haledon library materials starting July 1, aren’t being allowed to — and their officials are growing impatient.

The “inter-local agreement” between the neighboring boroughs is one of many being signed as North Jersey municipalities struggle to balance their budgets with flat revenues and reduced state aid. But the local snag highlights the underlying turf issues such efforts can face.

“The initial letter from the [Haledon] borough attorney to the library board stated that the funds will be used to benefit the library,” Library Director Judie Erk said. “The board is just trying to tweak it so everyone understands clearly that it’s the library’s discretion to spend the funds and not the borough itself.”

But Haledon Mayor Domenick Stampone said spending decisions are the Borough Council’s responsibility and the library board has no authority to dictate how the proceeds should be used. He added that the board received written and verbal guarantees that the money will be put in a trust fund for library purposes.

“I’m extremely disappointed the board has taken … the most drastic option,” Stampone said.

Regional and library officials, however, say the issue isn’t that clear-cut.

Robert White, executive director of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System, said the council could not force the semi-autonomous library board to go along with the sharing arrangement, as “the library board controls the actual manner in which services are delivered.”

Victoria Rosch, deputy director of the New Jersey State Library’s Library Development Bureau, explained, “If the library board is being asked to provide services, then the town would have to make a contract with the board.”

Erk, the library director, said that “The inter-local itself was perfectly fine. We just wanted something in writing assuring the funds are directly for the library to do what it needs to do. When we have that in hand, this should be resolved.”

Haledon Borough Administrator Allan Susen has spoken to Erk and library board president Fran Purciello. He said he requested a meeting with Erk for next week.

Purciello declined comment because she is out on disability and has not been present at board meetings.

Meanwhile, frustrated Prospect Park officials wonder if it would be simpler to take their residents and money elsewhere, to Hawthorne.

“While Haledon works on fixing that problem, we have to work on coming up with alternate plans for our residents,” Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah said. Although he did not set a deadline for a resolution in Haledon, he added “Whoever’s going to provide us with uninterrupted service is who we should go with.”

From July 2007 through this June, Prospect Park residents could join the Hawthorne library for $50 a year. Officials switched to an agreement with Haledon because its library is closer and it offered a fixed cost — $2.25 annually per resident, with a 25-cent yearly increase — which would allow for more exact budgeting.

“We never had a problem with [Hawthorne] in terms of providing the service,” Khairullah said. “Our intention was to provide service to our residents at a fixed cost, but we’re hitting a snag in the line, and we have to make a decision in the best interest of our residents.”

Hawthorne officials appear receptive to Prospect Park’s renewed approach.

“We’ll have to determine whether it’s in our interest and they’ll have to determine whether it’s in their interest,” Hawthorne Borough Administrator Eric Maurer said, but “they’re definitely interested in returning.”

E-mail: astor@northjersey.com

The idea was simple: Prospect Park pays Haledon $13,000 a year to share its library.

A young reader searches for books on her summer reading list at the Haledon library, which was to begin allowing Prospect Park residents to use the facility under an agreement. The reality has become complex: a dispute in Haledon between the governing body and library board over who should control the money.

Meanwhile, Prospect Park residents, who were supposed to be allowed to check out Haledon library materials starting July 1, aren’t being allowed to — and their officials are growing impatient.

The “inter-local agreement” between the neighboring boroughs is one of many being signed as North Jersey municipalities struggle to balance their budgets with flat revenues and reduced state aid. But the local snag highlights the underlying turf issues such efforts can face.

“The initial letter from the [Haledon] borough attorney to the library board stated that the funds will be used to benefit the library,” Library Director Judie Erk said. “The board is just trying to tweak it so everyone understands clearly that it’s the library’s discretion to spend the funds and not the borough itself.”

But Haledon Mayor Domenick Stampone said spending decisions are the Borough Council’s responsibility and the library board has no authority to dictate how the proceeds should be used. He added that the board received written and verbal guarantees that the money will be put in a trust fund for library purposes.

“I’m extremely disappointed the board has taken … the most drastic option,” Stampone said.

Regional and library officials, however, say the issue isn’t that clear-cut.

Robert White, executive director of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System, said the council could not force the semi-autonomous library board to go along with the sharing arrangement, as “the library board controls the actual manner in which services are delivered.”

Victoria Rosch, deputy director of the New Jersey State Library’s Library Development Bureau, explained, “If the library board is being asked to provide services, then the town would have to make a contract with the board.”

Erk, the library director, said that “The inter-local itself was perfectly fine. We just wanted something in writing assuring the funds are directly for the library to do what it needs to do. When we have that in hand, this should be resolved.”

Haledon Borough Administrator Allan Susen has spoken to Erk and library board president Fran Purciello. He said he requested a meeting with Erk for next week.

Purciello declined comment because she is out on disability and has not been present at board meetings.

Meanwhile, frustrated Prospect Park officials wonder if it would be simpler to take their residents and money elsewhere, to Hawthorne.

“While Haledon works on fixing that problem, we have to work on coming up with alternate plans for our residents,” Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah said. Although he did not set a deadline for a resolution in Haledon, he added “Whoever’s going to provide us with uninterrupted service is who we should go with.”

From July 2007 through this June, Prospect Park residents could join the Hawthorne library for $50 a year. Officials switched to an agreement with Haledon because its library is closer and it offered a fixed cost — $2.25 annually per resident, with a 25-cent yearly increase — which would allow for more exact budgeting.

“We never had a problem with [Hawthorne] in terms of providing the service,” Khairullah said. “Our intention was to provide service to our residents at a fixed cost, but we’re hitting a snag in the line, and we have to make a decision in the best interest of our residents.”

Hawthorne officials appear receptive to Prospect Park’s renewed approach.

“We’ll have to determine whether it’s in our interest and they’ll have to determine whether it’s in their interest,” Hawthorne Borough Administrator Eric Maurer said, but “they’re definitely interested in returning.”

E-mail: astor@northjersey.com

Posted by tumulty at July 10, 2009 8:16 AM

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